


Heart of the King

by shadowlink06



Series: World in Ruins - The Long Night (FFXV) [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blackmail, Blind Ignis Scientia, Blindness, Choices, Dark, Emotional, F/M, Friendship/Love, Hurt No Comfort, Illusions To Death, Loyalty, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Rape/Non-con Elements, Revenge, Spoilers, Torture, World of Ruin, gray characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:48:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23959453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowlink06/pseuds/shadowlink06
Summary: Loyalty and duty had always defined Ignis's life. When the Long Night descended on Eos, his blindness creates a handicap that causes a rift between him and his friends. On a routine visit to Galdin Quay, Ignis discovers there is more danger to Noctis than just the daemons of the night when Ardyn appears. With everything on the line, Ignis is faced with making choices that threaten to test the limits of his duties to the Crown and define who he really is. [Spoilers from main game and DLC content] [Prequel to Body and Soul]
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Ignis Scientia, Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Cindy Aurum
Series: World in Ruins - The Long Night (FFXV) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800553
Comments: 12
Kudos: 69





	1. The Fateful Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure if this will be a stand alone work or it will be incorporated into multiple parts of a story. I will determine based on feedback. This was a writing prompt I have in my head that I needed to get out after playing the game.

A/N Edits as of 10/ 05 / 2020 

*Added a few months before Noctis disappeared prior to the story taking place. 

* * *

It was colder than normal. Ignis’s fingers curled around his cane tighter as he walked outside of the diner. He had finished cooking for Cindy and the hunters at Hammerhead an hour ago and now he was just waiting on his ride to get here. The retainer still wore his sunglasses even though the sun had disappeared a few months ago - since Noctis had been absorbed by the crystal darkness had a notable impact on Eos. Given some of the reactions he had heard from the locals, the scarring around his eyes must have been bad. The sunglasses couldn’t cover all of the wounds but at the very least, the sounds of gasps and whispered murmurs had been cut down a significant amount. By now all of the regulars in Hammerhead had come to know of his ailment. Not the entire story behind it, but enough to understand that he had sustained the injury in the line of duty. No one held it against him, just another unfortunate accident in this rotten world.

As Ignis waited, a hunter stumbled out of the diner. The smell of alcohol was obvious as he spoke in the retainer’s direction.”Ignis… good food tonight, thank ya’ man. Will try to bring you some more stuff so you and the others can use it out here.”

Ignis smiled. “Think nothing of it, you know we are happy to take anything that you might stumble on. It’s been a tough time for all.”

“Ah, it’ll get better though. More of us are starting to form a good militia. Too bad I missed Gladio to give my things for trying to new recruits.” But he and Prompto had moved out a month earlier to help out on a hunt in the neighboring region so the hunters here would have to make do with what they had. “There is a pride of coeurls not too far from the city. If you see him or Prompto let them know we got some work in Lestallum if they are willing. Place has been busy lately. ”

“Will do.” Ignis replied before nodding his head. “Please be careful out there.”

“Same to you buddy. We may not have the sun right now, but we still got light in our hearts. That ain’t never gonna go out.” He clicked on his body flashlight before walking back into the direction of the small town. It was a good thing that the townsfolk did have familiarity with the artificial light technology so it was easy to get them to use them. The real trick was just making sure that all the remaining cities had a strong enough lumination to keep the weaker daemons at bay. Ignis’s hand went to his own body light. It was the same one that had always been with him since he had left Insomnia with the guys. Maybe that is why he hadn’t bothered to throw it away even if it served no purpose to him anymore. He had given up on his sight coming back. There were a few doctors that had offered experimental procedures, but Ignis didn’t bother. He had made his decision and this was the consequence of his actions. It disappointed him on the baser level, but he didn’t dwell on it… or rather he couldn’t bring himself to.

When Ignis thought back to putting on the Ring of Lucii, he had been prepared to give up everything. Yet somehow he had been spared and retained his life. How or why, that is what bothered him the most. Being a sacrificial lamb for his King to live should have been an honor. That was his last vision before the power waned out from his body and he collapsed. His last memory was seeing Noctis lying unconscious, his King safe from the threat of the monster that desired his life and able to fulfill his calling.

If Ignis was allowed to live, he’d not squander his second chance. He continued to refine his cooking techniques, learn how to take care of himself, and even fight as he could. The retainer had a helper to help him get the correct utensils and spices but from preparation to the finishing garnishes he was still involved with all of the processes. Food brought people together and with the fear of the night and the daemon's presence becoming more violent lately, he could put a smile on their faces. The praises kept him going, he still wanted to create new and exotic dishes when he could and since he wasn’t with Noctis, Gladio, or Prompto, this was a welcome substitute. .

The sound of a diesel truck pulling up had Ignis look up. “Finally.” He murmured standing up hearing the breaks of the vehicle squeak in front of him. He recognized the sound of the motor instantly. Every nuanced sound seemed to be processed a bit more critically and this particular truck was one Ignis had come to know.

The window rolled down as Cid expelled a puff of smoke from his cigarette. “A bit late, sorry about that. Had a delivery I had to take care of. Are ya ready to go?” Old Cid Sophiar was a wise man. One that would spit on Ifrit and flip him the finger if he got a chance. It was an unlikely friendship that Ignis had struck with the old man since he came back to Hammerhead. Given the situation, he was the best person to ask for these favors.

“Think nothing of it,” The retainer murmured. “I was just enjoying the breeze.” A hand went out to feel for the door handle on the passenger’s side before getting in. “Let’s go.”

The truck lurched forward as they started on the highway towards Galdin Quay. The pair only made the journey when Cid had some business there. Being limited to what he could do, he had offered Ignis to join him under the premise of “going somewhere new” just to get away from the dust bowl that was Hammerhead. Really, the old man understood that it wasn’t healthy for Ignis to be stuck while Gladio and Prompto went off with the Hunters or Crownsguard on their missions. Understandably Ignis wasn’t really invited to the monster hunts and the once mighty triple trio of terror were down to the dynamic duo. “Heard you made quite a feast tonight. My baby girl always raves about your cooking.”

“Just something different with the chocobo meat that we managed to acquire.”

“Pretty sure you could make shit taste like ice cream with your skills.”

That earned a laugh from the retainer as he leaned against the door frame. The window was lowered so he could feel the wind flick across his face. “I wouldn’t go that far, but just about anything can be made edible if one imagines hard enough.”

“Mmm I’ll leave ya to it then and keep to my cars,” The mechanic drawled. “You gotta put your hands to use where they matter the most. Ain’t got no problem with being a shit cook, can’t do it all.” For the most part the ride was a quiet one. A few daemon’s were on the highway, but even the old man could maneuver around them if he didn’t just flat out run them over with the tires. Before the sudden thuds of a car going over the beasts bothered Ignis, but now it was just another bump on the road - many lately. “Still ain’t heard from your buddies yet? Heard they were trying help around the city.” Cid inquired. “Ain’t seen hide or hair from them in a good month.”

Had it been that long? It was hard to say. Even though there was nothing keeping Gladio and Prompto apart, the two seemed to be doing separate projects all for the sake of safety. “I guess it has. I’m sure they’ll check in later when they get free time.”

“You should go with them every once in a while.” Cid urged Ignis. “Always appreciate your help around Hammerhead, but there are other places in the world worth exploring too you know. That’s why your buddies keep moving around, you should too.”

There was a silence that drew over the men at that statement. Of course the retainer should have joined them. Maybe Ignis wasn’t the best to take to a fight but he could do other matters. He used his head more than the others, that had always given him the edge over any and all problems. “Perhaps… I will inquire when they come around again.” They both knew though that deep down, Ignis hadn’t bothered asking because they were just concerned. Gladio had made his feelings clear on the matter before. Ignis was handicapped, no one would take a blind man into a warzone. It didn’t help that everywhere was going to hell in a handbasket. It wasn’t fair to anyone involved if Ignis was always a worry - that got people killed. He suspected Prompto thought the same, but was just too kind not to voice the same sentiments in a direct way.

Truthfully, Ignis didn’t understand why Noct didn’t discard him when he admitted his own weakness. Noctis would have been within his rights no matter how painful it would have been to go their separate ways. Before the trap to guide him into the crystal, the days seemed to draw on longer than they had when the Regalia had first broken down on their journey. Ignis was slowing them down but even after losing everything, Noctis still waited for him those extra minutes he needed to scale up a hill or when his cane had failed him and he tripped and fell. They never berated him, made fun of him, or held him in contempt. Every instance that made Ignis stumble, they all waited and picked him back up when he needed it. He never told Cid any of this but the old man clearly knew Ignis being left behind was starting to bother him because that support that he once had was suddenly gone.

“See that you do boy.” The truck slowed after what seemed like hours of travel. Cid already knew where Ignis wanted to go. It was the only reason he bothered to come to the area: Angelgard. The place was off an island, but the Kingsglave set up a post at Galdin Quay. The crystal was here, and so was Noctis. He didn't press the retainer for any details about what he was up to, knowing that the man needed his space and he damn well deserved it. “Gonna be here for a week or so. Ya finish your business, come back to the hotel. Room’s already been booked for ya.”

“Of course.” Ignis smiled in the mechanic’s direction. “Thanks as always Cid.” Hopping out of the truck with his cane in hand he made his way to the pier knowing that the guards would be there. It didn’t take long for the Kingsglaive to see him. Under normal circumstances no one would have been permitted near the crystal outside of the Kingsglaive. However Ignis was the exception. He was there to protect Noctis as well and no one had ever questioned his credentials as a Crownsguard officer. A guard ferried the retainer across the ocean to the small island. A few men patrolled the outer perimeter of the island. Another pair was posted at the entrance leading to the crystal itself. From what Ignis understood, they were trying to get a light system in place to make it easier to keep the daemons away, but who knew how long it would take.

“Do you need an escort sir?” One of the guards asked to Ignis.

“I’ll be fine… just want to spend some time here is all.”

“Oh… of course sir. We’ll check on you in a few hours. We’ll be rotating shifts then.”

“Thanks. I’ll try not to be long.” It was a straight shot to the inner chambers so the cane would be enough. The battle with Bahamut reinforced the new generation of Kingsglaives were ready for anything. Although the island had been heavily damaged, there were engineers repairing the infrastructure within. It just made it easier to check on the crystal. No one really knew how long it would take for Noctis to reemerge, or if Ardyn would even change his mind and seek to end the Chosen King for himself. Ardyn… the mention of the name brought a rush of emotions that made Ignis choke. Underneath the whimsical facade he had never seen such a man… such a monster.

In nightmares, he thought back to the last day he had been in the company of Noctis and the others. They did everything within their capacity to take down Ardyn and put an end to his madness. Together the four of them could have handled any beast or monster. However, he hand overestimated his enemy, they all had. Perhaps Ignis should have known something was off, but he didn’t, or rather he couldn’t comprehend the madness of the Usurper. No matter how many times the scene had played out, again he was powerless to prevent Noctis being absorbed.

A hand gingerly touched the crystal, running over the misshapen glass surfaces. It was cold, he wondered if Noct was too, what he was going through as he remained trapped. Was he sleeping? Could he see him? The prison that separated him from seeing his king was so close, and yet so far. Ignis wanted to do something to free him from the perpetual world of darkness. “When will you come out?” He murmured. And then he thought back to the vision that he had when Pryna reached out to touch him in her dying breath. He was convinced that the dog was a messenger of the Astrals. Given how abnormal she and Umbra were, it made sense. Luna always had attracted the otherworldly beings close to her. The message Pryna gave was clear though: Noct had a duty to slay the Usurper. Noct had to die to fulfill the duty to be the King of Light.

Ignis’ knees buckled under him as the reality hit him. His cane haphazardly dropped to his side. It wasn’t enough for the Chosen King to suffer the loss of his beloved Luna, but when he returned, he’d be sacrificed all the same. Just like his father, just like Luna, just like him. He would die without living. He was the only one who knew the secret. He had agonized telling Prompto and Gladio, but in the end, he had decided against it. Why create an unhappy memory of what was to come? In the end, he decided that ignorance was best. It wasn’t for him to tell, he was sure Noct had become aware of what waited for him.

* * *

The crystal in all of its glory. The source of magic and the cause of such strife in the world. Now it’s power would be lost and given to the King of Kings. The prophecy was one that had been burned into his head for far too long and it rattled in his head like a bad movie film. Seeing the crystal swallow Noctis filled Ardyn with a sense of relief. It was one step closer to finally being put out of his misery. It was odd now that he thought back to the foolish trials of Verstael’s experiments. His dear “friend” wished to preserve his life in immortality. Ardyn never seemed to feel that way being “alive” for the past 2 milenia. Even now there was something wholly welcoming about ending his own existence in this wretched world. There was no one waiting for him, the history of foolish humans kept repeating itself. The technology might have improved, but the lessons that should have been learned kept happening because of the human condition.

Ardyn didn’t want a repeat. He wanted it to end. Noctis might have been his enemy, but the Usurper did need him. Somnus’ antics had been allowed to live for far too long. His brother’s wretched seed spilling in each royal heir only kept adding to the cycle. “The King of Kings…” He muttered transforming into a Kingsglaive on the island. As the daemons gained strength of the long night so too did the light need to be gathered. Although Bahamut had these fools guarding the crystal it was Ardyn that had made it a point to keep the more violent daemons away. The weaker ones came to bother the Kingsglaive but unless they were stupid, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be handled. As he was patrolling the island he realized that someone unexpected had docked. His gaze moved to Ignis as he spoke with the Kingsguard and was actually allowed inside. “My, my... “ What was  _ he _ doing back here?

* * *

Ignis’s back pressed against the base of the crystal core. He couldn’t see the brightness that it emitted, but he could feel it. “I… keep making new recipes.” He started to speak finally. While he doubted that Noct could hear him, it was pleasant just to have a conversation, one sided as it might have been. “Daemon’s keep increasing but… there is a lot more meat to go around. I have a helper in the kitchen to help me get the items that I need. It’s been working really well.” A small smile crossed his face as he thought back to those pleasant evenings. “It’s funny... vegetables are worth more than meat now. Sure you would use that as an excuse to skip them with your meals. I uh… hope that I can let you sample them when you come out.”

Between his ramblings, Ignis could hear footsteps coming closer to him. Frowning he waited for them to stop. It didn’t feel like hours had passed yet. It seemed far too soon to go back yet the person that had joined him was oddly silent. “Is something wrong?”

Ardyn dropped the facade he was masquerading as he regarded the retainer. No doubt about it, it was the same one from before when Leviathan was summoned. “Nothing wrong at all my boy, just walking down memory lane much in the same way you are.”

The sudden voice in the room had Ignis stiffen. He knew it well enough. “Ardyn…” He stood up abruptly facing the direction of the sound. What was he doing here? Where were the Kingsglaives at?

“Waiting on your king are we?” A cynical clap followed as Ardyn walked closer to the crystal as he was properly addressed. “Well I’m so honored! You haven’t forgotten me after all.”

This was bad. Reaching at his side, he unhooked the dagger about his sheath and in one fluid motion pointed the tip at Ardyn’s direction. His hearing was getting better, pinpointing where an enemy was, a lot more refined but still.. They both knew what the monster was capable of doing.

And as if hitting the stop button on a horror movie, Ardyn proved the threat was still real as he warped next to the blinded man and grabbed the wrist that threatened him. “I see you still are quick to react without thinking. An admirable trait for a loyal dog to the King.” His fingers squeezed, nails digging into Ignis’ flesh to disrupt the muscles seizing the weapon in hand.

There was a pained cry as Ignis grip loosened and he drew his hand back to release the vice grip. The sound of the metallic instrument dropping to the stone floor resonated in the room. He didn’t want to be unarmed and was calculating the risk in reaching for the twin dagger.

Ardyn seemed to be reading his mind as he watched the other hand curl. His fingernails relaxed slightly but he didn’t release his prey. “No need to be so hasty, my good man. I’m not here to ruin your time with your precious King.” He eyed the sunglasses that the retainer wore. It was night, perpetual darkness brought on with the long night, so he doubted that was the reason for them being worn. But the scars along the face…. He hummed to himself remembering back to the way those eyes had exploded with rage, covered in the ethereal light from the Ring of the Lucii in Altissia that night. He hadn’t died unlike Nyx after his use of the ring. Was it the Astral’s showing mercy to a human? Why this one? As the possibilities dawned on him his mind started to work. “Interesting…” rather abruptly he let Ignis go hovering over him as his weight shifted back to the crystal. “Did you come to seek a way to break your King out from his prison, or to beg for his forgiveness?”

The answer was both, although Ignis didn’t say as much as he brought his hand back scrambling to his feet the moment that he had been released. “What does that matter to you?”

“Nothing at all, but it is hard to deny that someone in your condition shouldn’t be wandering around by themselves.” There was a noticeable pause knowing that the other two that normally were with the King really didn’t seem to be around either. That was rather telling. The abandoned cane was eyed before he shrugged his shoulders. “You may try to reach for your other dagger, but it will do you no good. You couldn’t beat me before with your vision intact, and you won’t beat me now.”

“That won’t stop me from trying.”

And that made Ardyn smile. “Yes. I do believe I have to hand it to you that you will try.” It was an admirable trait even if the resulting outcome would be in the demon's favor. Normal men he supposed would be resigned to their fate and beg for mercy, but not this one. They both knew if even a small window of opportunity was around, Ignis wouldn’t feel any less inclined to gut him like a fish. “In either case, I wasn't planning on killing a blind man for the sake of his pride today.” He walked closer to Ignis then, keeping a few feet between them just in case he needed to react to one of the boy’s tricks. Like a behemoth circling a bloodied chocobo he regarded the retainer. “Unless you want me to that is.”

Ignis tried to mirror each step Ardyn took with his own. His ears had been fine tuned to hone into the man’s cadence. It wouldn’t help if he warped but at the very least, he could guess where he was going. Even if it was futile effort his hand reached to his dagger. Why Ardyn was here was a problem, the grounds were supposed to be clear. There was no reason for him to be here since he had gone through so much effort to lead Noctis to the crystal. What  _ did _ matter was that Ardyn should die. He had to go for it.

The moment Ardyn heard the click of the dagger being unsheathed did he warp closer to Ignis’s back. The brief step had the air suddenly shift, and with a fluid motion slashed behind him. The motion took mere seconds, but the chancellor was ready. The dagger planted itself into his chest, but he made it a point to grab Ignis’ wrist and twisted. The already flexed tendon was pushed beyond what a body could take and the familiar sound of metal hitting the floor only had Ardyn chuckling. “Oh, looks like your other knife is gone. What a pity.”

It was no contest as he had mentioned before. Vulnerable and defenseless, it was deja vu all over again. He wondered if the irony had sunk into his prey yet. The red luminescence of calling his own Armiger manifested itself as he reached for a dagger pressing the tip of the blade against Ignis’s throat. He could feel the body under him stiffen when realized the danger he was in. Leaning in further, Ardyn whispered in the man’s ear. “Relax boy and you yet might survive this night.”

Ignis could feel his stomach tighten knowing that the last of his defenses were stripped away. It would be another hour at least before a guard came back to check on him. In another setting that was ideal in his head, but now he could smell the scent of sandalwood scented aftershave on the Chancellor's body. Ignis could feel the faint heartbeat as he was pressed closer to Ardyn, and could only imagine the way that the other man was eying him as nothing more than a toy that could be broken into a million little pieces. Was this the end for him? His death wasn't really as climactic as he thought as he only thought about one person.

Noctis. 

* * *

Surrender, perhaps one of the more interesting emotions to see on the face of those Ardyn despised. Well, perhaps  _ this _ one wasn’t someone he really despised more than amused him. If not for the staggered breathing, Ignis was more like a statue with how still he had become. Granted the dagger was still threatening to cut the retainer’s jugular vein, but it was a tiny detail. “It has occurred to me that we didn’t get a chance to properly talk during our last encounter.”

“I wasn’t trying to talk to you, I was trying to kill you.” Ignis snapped back. Perhaps he should have curved his distaste towards the man threatening his life, but he couldn’t help himself. 

“Indeed you were, but I don’t have to point out of your continued failure in that endeavor?” Of course, it was a useless exercise to truly destroy Ardyn. Death was something that was a morbid curiosity to the Usurper since his soul remained trapped in the Beyond. He had seen and been responsible for so many meeting their demise and he contemplated what the last moments of breath being taken actually felt like. Watching the glaze slowly film over their eyes and the heartbeat slow to a sickening crawl he wondered when that could be him. Only Noctis could set him free of immortality, he had crushed the Crown City of Insomnia into the dust and watched Somnus’ great empire crumble into nothing. The world was left with a void, his agony of 2,000 years manifested and pushing humans to the end of days. “At this point,” Ardyn spoke with sincerity evident in his voice, “I’m starting to believe you just want to sacrifice yourself for self gratification. I did warn you not to put on the ring…”

“You would have killed Noct!” Ignis hissed back. Like hell he would have just sat back and watched that play out!

“Ah… but has it occurred to you I could have done it at any time I wanted?” He tisked softly. “You are the more intelligent out of the riff-raff that the Chosen King kept around him. Do you not believe if I wanted to kill him-” He tip of the blade pressed against Ignis’s neck harder until he drew fresh blood. “-I could have at any time on your adventures?”

The retainer gasped as he mulled over what Ardyn was saying. It was true… even from the start there were plenty of chances to kill them all and yet the demon had just simply… allowed them to continue on, sometimes intervening to stop the Empire himself from capturing the retinue. It was a contradiction that he hadn't understood. “Why…. why did you kill Luna?”

“Oh? Worried about the former bride are you? She was but a means to an end my boy. She conspires with the other Astrals not on my side. Besides… I believe the King of Kings needed a bit of motivation to continue his journey at the time. I cannot leave everything to chance. The Gods tend to be rather temperamental. I’m sure you can sympathize.” Rather abruptly Ardyn drew the blade away from Ignis’s neck before shoving him forward. “Do not think yourself above me, you are responsible for the death of countless Nifiheim’s soldiers all for the sake of your King.”

Stumbling, Ignis found himself crouched on his hands and knees to hold himself from crashing on the ground. When his palms landed on the surface of the stone floor his training kicked in. His body spun in a 180 degree turn to face his attacker before he took a few steps away from the Usurper. No cane, no daggers and now Ardyn had complete access to the crystal.

“Ahh… what a funny man you are.” The demon mused seeing the desperation within the other man. “You really are still trying to fight me?”

“Get away from him!”

“And what will you do if I don’t?” He walked in the direction of the crystal planting his palms over the smooth surface. “I don’t know what would happen if I broke this infernal thing. Perhaps I could hack and slash it into a million pieces. Do you think your King would die a million times as a result?”

Ignis moved without thinking. Driven by emotion rather than rational thinking, all he knew was that it wasn’t supposed to end like this. It was a move that Ardyn was waiting for, he balled his fist together as he saw the retainer rush him. He phase-warped to change where Ignis was aiming for before swinging at his stomach delivering a sickening blow to force all of the air from the retainer’s lungs. Ignis groaned, his body suddenly just stopping mid motion with the jolt delivered. His head felt fuzzy with the lack of oxygen disrupting the flow of activity to the brain.

Ardyn’s arm curled around the retainer as he passed out onto his chest. That had been far too easy. “Goodnight, sweet prince.” He whispered holding onto the lump body. 

* * *

It felt as though Ignis was floating into the abyss. He had this feeling before in Altissia when Leviathan turned the city into an underwater hell on earth. It was cold again… his fingers twitched under the stone floor. Why was he on the floor? He moved to sit up on the floor. The last few moments flashed in his memory. “Noct…”

_ “You called?” _ A voice called to him. 

Ignis stiffened as he was greeted with that familiarity. He could never forget the voice of his childhood friend. “Noct you are… are you alright?” There should have been red flags going up in hindsight. The timing, or rather the situation didn’t make sense. Perhaps he was dreaming, but even if he was, he wanted it to be real. A hand reached to brush across Ignis’s cheeks and the retainer couldn’t help but hold Noctis’ hands in his grip.”

_ “Iggy, are you okay? You are shaking.” _

Fear, he was shaking because he was afraid. If he let go of Noct, he’d disappear again. He’d never get to hear his friend’s laughter, beriate him for not eating more vegetables, or smell that aftershave he always used. Aftershave… Noctis didn’t use aftershave nor did he ever use sandalwood. The realization had him panic, he made a pitiful sound trying to push himself away.

_ “What’s wrong?”  _ Noctis asked, trying to come close to him once again. 

“You aren’t… you aren’t Noctis.” A sharp backhand to Ignis’s cheek had the retainer crashing back into the floor. Ignis grunted, curling his body up unconsciously preparing to be struck again. Instead he found a hand fisting in his hair, forcibly pulling his head up to face the fraud.

“ _ Oooh _ my…” Ardyn’s true voice morphed from Noctis’ as he crouched over Ignis. “And here I thought it would take you longer to figure that out. You are far more perceptive than most.” He had heard losing one of the five senses amplified the rest and that seemed to be true. It was hard to say what gave him away. “Perhaps you should have stayed in your fantasy a bit longer. Your ignorant bliss would have served you well.”

A finger went out to touch Ignis face, this time with his real hand. The callouses over the skin were much rougher than what he was used to. For a chancellor he seemed to have used his hands quite a bit in his life. Maybe that is why Ignis always had thought Ardyn was an unlikely political figure for Niflheim.

“Well… no matter. Perhaps seeing me as I am would be better after all. Well, in a manner of speaking anyway.” He chuckled mulling what to do with his prey. The retainer no doubt was thinking about how to get out of this mess. “Do you surrender?”

“-Never.”

The single statement held all of the malice in the world. It didn’t matter if Ardyn had broken every bone in the man’s body he’d still continue with his blind loyalty. “Good… you will never disappoint me.” He straddled Ignis’ legs effectively pinning the man under him. He could feel the other man’s muscles tense up which only had the chancellor laughing. “Does your beloved King know that you lust after him?”

The question had caught Ignis so off guard he couldn’t tell if the man was joking or not. “I-I... don’t… know what you are talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.” The chancellor countered. “Brief as your response was then, and at Altissia… your feelings seem to go beyond that of mere retainer to the crown.”

There was confusion when it was pointed out to him. Ignis had always had strong emotions when it had come to Noctis, but it had been understandable. He was raised to protect the future king and stand beside him at all times. Noctis was to marry Luna and there was nothing wrong with that. The two had been close from a young age, for personal and political perspective it made perfect sense for Noctis and Luna to get married. It never bothered Ignis, he’d support his King wherever he went. Ignis’s own carnal needs were simply… not something he cared to think about.

“Ahh… your silence makes me wonder if you’ve ever considered taking him as your own. Always playing the second fiddle… perhaps if you had a womb the King might have considered you a potential consort.”

“Shut up!” Ignis snarled. 

“So rude… I was only being sympathetic to your plight. Well, perhaps you have an opportunity to confess your love one of these days, assuming he survives that long.” There was a long drawn out pause. “Or perhaps… I should just kill you here and now and open another wound for the King when he wakes. What do you think?”

Ignis grit his teeth at the obvious threat. “Is this the part where I beg for my life?”

“No, perish the thought. I doubt you would beg for anything that I could offer you regardless of the context.” Ignis was no coward, so such tactics wouldn’t work on him. “However you are not without your own weaknesses. There are more ways to break a man than simply slitting his throat.”

“I am  _ not _ your play toy.”

“Ahh but that is where you are wrong my boy, you most certainly are. Fate smiles down upon you again by our chance meeting! Rejoice to know that I will give you an option to spare me from taking the life of your King.”

Ignis’ heart dropped when he heard that. What did he mean by that? The normally stoic man suddenly had a feeling of terror as he considered the implications. He didn’t doubt that Ardyn would harm Noct if he didn’t play by his rules. The anger that had been bubbling at the surface dissipated speaking in a cold tone. “I would never betray my King.” The demon should have been aware but his steadfast attitude had never changed.

“I don’t want your loyalty boy… just your body.” It was perhaps the most insidious way to truly fuck with this man. Ardyn grinned at the thought. “I’ve mentioned before I’ve never had a subject to call my own, I suppose I can rent you out just to pass the time. It’s not like I have anyone else to keep me company.”

The implication made Ignis stomach turn. “And if I refuse?”

Ardyn acted like he was considering before speaking honestly. “Well, the crystal is mere feet from us. I doubt even if you try to summon the Kingsglaive, it will be enough to save your King from being shattered into pieces. “

The retainer knew he was right. There wouldn’t have been enough time… and even then, there was still the matter of actually killing Ardyn to begin with. The bastard acted like he was giving Ignis a choice when there was no such thing in the circumstances. It was blackmaill and more than likely a trap. Ardyn had to know that Ignis wouldn’t refuse the demand, but that was the point. 

Just to give it another attempt to run, or even beg, Ardyn gave the other man another opportunity to test his resolve. “Do we have a deal?” When the Usurper heard nothing more uttered, Ardyn knew he had him. “Very well then. You have my word, as long as I have your cooperation, your King will be left to slumber.”

The retainer grit his teeth. He wanted to scream, he wanted to beat Ardyn senseless. The grip on his hair loosened and he remained still. Whether it was a trick or not, he couldn’t bring himself to fight back. “Why are you doing this?”

Why? Even Ardyn couldn’t really put into words why? Boredom? Amusement? To a degree yes, but there was something else nagging at him when he kept his attention on this man. “Call it a fantastical whim.” He merely stated as a hand reached to the hem of Ignis’s pants. With no further resistance he assumed that Ignis agreed to his terms. Methodically the button was released, the zipper lowered and pulled the pants away from the man’s body. Beautiful… the Usurper marveled at the sight before him. The skin had bruising and some scarring from past battles where not even potions or elixirs could erase. He wasn’t just a lapdog for the King. Fumbling with his own pants, Ardyn licked his lips positioning himself behind Ignis.

No matter how much Ignis wanted to try to relax, his body just couldn’t. He was really going to go through with it. There was no way to tell that Ardyn would even honor his word. A fantastical whim he had said, it sounded as though the Usurper was going through pages in a book rather than determining the life and death of people. His legs were stretched, draping over the chancellor's shoulders as he was pinned. He could feel the head of the demons cock pressing at his entrance and his breath hitched. It was going to hurt, there was nothing to act in the form of lubrication nor had the bastard tried to prepare him for what was about to happen.

“Good boy.” Ardyn whispered as hips rocked forward proliferating the skin as he became encased in that warm cavity. 

Ignis let out a sound that was more of a sob than an actual scream.  _ It hurt _ … even as his body tried to adjust, Ardyn was moving inside of him without care or concern. The retainer didn’t know what to hold onto so his fingernails scratched against the floor with each thrust. The pain gradually dulled until his lower body became completely numb.

Virginal. There was no doubt about it as the look of pain mixed with absolute horror washed over the retainer’s face. Ardyn was sure that the man would beg him to stop by this point, but he had kept his mouth shut short of those few hitched sobs that escaped. The Kingsglaive men were still around, why they didn’t bother to check on Igns was to his advantage. Perhaps they were all being sentimental because of Ignis’s blindness. Pity to a comrade that had lost his ability to fight… but they didn’t seem to understand what Ardyn had figured out in the wake of Leviathan. His ailment had changed nothing about his will to protect,  _ to fight _ . He enjoyed that defiance, the spark of desperation and hope. He remembered  _ she _ had it in her last moments alive. The thought of Aera had his eyes narrow as he looked down on Ignis.

“Was it worth it my pet?” Ardyn’s pace picked up, his inhuman strength starting to filter onto his fit of rage. It got easier to slip inside of the retainer. The scent of blood wasn’t lost to him as he kept tearing his prey open. The sobbing waned, and it finally occurred to Ardyn that the boy had passed out. It didn’t matter much, the demon kept going until he was pushed over the edge. There was no point in pulling out, he was more than happy to have his seed deposited somewhere of significance. It had taken a while for Ardyn to compose himself. A sigh slipped past his lips redressing first himself and then Ignis. Perhaps tonight had been a complete whimsy but he wasn’t disappointed. The retainer turned out to be a good fuck and this was far more interesting than interacting with those foolish Kingsglaives. After he resheathed Ignis’s twin daggers and placed the cane near him, Ardyn turned his attention back to the crystal.

“Gather strength well, my dear King. I look forward to the day I die by your hands.” His body transformed into a Kingsglaive as he walked out of the altar with one last glance cast at Ignis. “I will see you soon dear boy.” Perhaps he overindulged.


	2. Night of the Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I take it you wanted me to leave your King alone, so you opted to use yourself for bait? If that is the case, should I not indulge myself?” 
> 
> “Was that not your intention when you followed me?” 
> 
> That had given Ardyn pause. “I suppose it was. And are you denying me my rights?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned that I was originally planning on having this piece as one shot story, but as I’ve been asked to continue, I do have a few ideas how to carry it forward. Again, the entire affair is just a spontaneous story my twisted brain has come up with. I cannot promise when chapters will be updated or how many there will be, but as soon as I am happy with the end result for a scenario, that is when it gets published. Please enjoy the wild ride.

Moving passively from place to place was surprisingly easier for Ardyn. Well, in fairness it was never really _hard_. Being able to morph into different people at will allowed him that freedom. Even when he had come out from the crystal chambers, the two Kingsglaive guards at the entrance thought little of his disguise. The original victim was an unassuming soul. One of the many soldiers that had fallen prey to his sword when he had been caught off guard. He had red hair chopped and disheveled from not realizing a comb was a tool that could be utilized for proper grooming. The beginning of a stub beard, brown eyes, and a pale complexion, and his own pair of oval-shaped glasses. The lad had a lithe build, but the original owner looked to be more of a paper pusher than an actual fighter. He had forgotten the original name of the person, but since he wanted to be a repeat guard on the island, he tried to keep his role consistent. The name tag Ardyn donned read Emus Calculi , an anagram that he probably could have easily masked further but no one had yet realized the significance in the ensuing chaos he had caused when Noctis had been absorbed into the crystal. He didn’t feel the need to change it further so he never had.

“Hey, what were you doing in there? No one is allowed into the crystal chamber Emus.” One of the men said, already frowning at Ardyn’s sudden appearance.

“ _Forgive me sir._ ” He spoke through the masquerade face. “I was told to go check on Mr. Scientia. He said he wanted to stay a while longer.” These were the new guards that he had seen before meeting the retainer. The posts had been rotated, and of course no one thought any possible danger would already be within the crystal core. Ignis has gone in by himself and was the only one they saw after all.

The two guards looked at each other for a moment before one spoke. “We’ve been told he’s been in there for hours.”

“ _He has been_.” Ardyn admitted. “ _But it seems that he had a bit of more free time to spare_.”

“Eh, leave him be.” The other guard piped up after considering Ardyn’s words. “Scientia was close to the King. Not out of the ordinary for him to spend half of the day in there. He comes here every so often so give him his space.”

So… this wasn’t the first time that Ignis had come to the island? He had never thought to ask if anyone actually went in the crystal area. It was off limits for good reason short of the repairs and checking on the infrastructure to make sure that it didn’t collapse. No guard questioned Ardyn in the least, nor did it look like they verify that what he said had real substance. Foolish men… they were so concerned with the daemons they had completely forgotten whatever human threat remained. “ _In that case, I will continue my rounds_.” Without waiting for their responses Ardyn left to admire his old prison grounds.

Bahamut had a sick sense of humor moving the Imprisoned King to the very place that had been his own hell for a millennia. “ _Oh… to subjugate you to your knees._ ” He couldn’t help but be malicious when the Astral dragon was concerned. He was the representation of humanity that shunned him for being unclean all for the sake of helping his people. But how the Astral had underestimated Ardyn’s rage and madness. The champion of the crystal, savior of the people… fleeing titles that were rightfully his and yet he had gotten him nothing in the end.

His own twisted plot of revenge had always teetered on being a slave to the destiny of the Gods or to defy it. He had no obligation to any of them but still… it would have changed nothing and he would have still been consumed in perpetual darkness without ever knowing what it would have been like to find true peace. That feeling was only exasperated when he saw the crystal pulling Noctis within its core. Seeing the acceptance of the boy being ordained as the Chosen King had reassured Ardyn that he’d be given his chance to blot Somnus’ bloodline and tear apart the will of the Gods very, very soon.

Knocking him out of his obsession was the sound of daemons closing in on him. The wail of the creatures was becoming the theme song of the long night. They appeared and disappeared shifting and distorting their twisted forms on Eos. Before Ardyn would have called them a nuisance. But now, they were vessels that needed to be harvested. Each human life taken by those of the starscourge was one he could use for himself: his power and his curse.

The wailing progressively grew worse as more flocked to his location “ _It’s not enough … not yet_.” He murmured turning in the direction of where the creatures had come from. There had to be more. His insatiable appetite pressed him forward to hunt down the daemons. Ardyn had figured that the beasts were drawn to the crystal. Not just because it was a source of light, but the power bestowed on it by the Astrals. If left unchecked the island would have become a breeding ground. It was one of the reasons why he chose to continue to visit Angelgard regardless of the history he had with the place.

Now though, besides seeking more sources of power, he had been granted entertainment in the form of Ignis. His mouth twitched at the memory. The boy simply accepted his own violation without seeking terms or conditions. Ardyn had been exceedingly cruel by just using him as a common whore. He hurt him in order to break him. No matter how the Usurper looked at it, he just wished to see Ignis beg... just once. Whether to stop or for his life, but neither request had left his lips. What should have been relief after taking the boy was greeted with sheer vexation. Ardyn was used to seeing people squirm, seeing the cowardly side in their last moments, but it was he who had been surprised. He had lost the gamble trying to make that retainer fall into absolute despair. And for all he knew Ignis had been dragged into that abyss, but not in the way that Ardyn had envisioned.

A _fantastical whim_ he had called it. The abuse had been taken to protect Noctis regardless as to the outcome. He could have slit Ignis’ throat after his post-coital bliss and the fool would have still felt like he had made a difference. The lengths to which that man went was simply… admirable. But now the fool had to deal with the aftermath of his actions.

Would the retainer ask for the Kingsglaive’s help in this circumstance? It was hard to say if it would be a good idea if the guards were aware Ardyn might be trying to kill Noctis. Tighter security meant that the King would be safer leaving him to gather his strength for the battle to come. It wasn’t a bad option if it were to come to that conclusion. On the other hand, if Ignis admitted he had seen Ardyn that would mean another level of scrutiny. Could the boy give the state of urgency without revealing that he had given himself willingly to his enemy? When he had redressed the retainer it hadn’t been to hide what he had done, but merely giving Ignis the option to admit his own weakness. But even with everything that had transpired, it was to protect his King. In saying any admission no matter how much he parsed the entire story, he’d have to relive that moment each time he opened his mouth. The truth known to only both of them.

“ _I guess I put the ball in your court regarding this matter_.” He’d check back in a few hours to see how the retainer would choose to handle this situation. Eventually he’d have to leave the island after all whether he wanted to or not. For now, a hand outstretched to the hoard of daemons siphoning their bodies within his own. The screams of their unwillingness to join him fell on deaf ears as Ardyn absorbed them within his body. He could hear their screams as memories poured into his mind. A mom baking pie for her child, a wild hunt that had occurred in the frozen tundra, another admiring the wall of Lucian Kingdom, another killing a Lucian soldier for information of the Nifleheim empire. They weren’t his memories, and yet he could see them as if he were these people in another life. He cried out as it overwhelmed his mind. Never did the process get easier. Still he had to squash them all down, to bring some type of symbiosis to his own memories, those were the ones he desired to keep, _to remember_. Composing himself he glanced up at the stars as he tried to purge himself of the unwanted baggage. Another life given to extend his own and there were millions more that needed to be taken. The darkness was his power and he intended to capitalize on it any opportunity that he got.

* * *

Sex was one of those topics of conversations that Ignis had been embarrassed to talk about. In front of Noctis, Gladio, or even Prompto he had been under the opinion that broaching the topic was the best approach. Thankfully the attention spans of his friends usually allowed the conversation to drift off or Ignis would find an excuse to remove himself for a legitimate reason. In truth, he had never been curious of their sex life. Noctis and Luna were an understood couple. There were no teasings about either of them since they both had the looks and pedigree. If anything was to be joked about, it was the number of kids they would have, and who they would take after.

Ignis had wondered if Gladio would ever be capable of handling a woman delicately given the way he swung his sword. Seeing him with Iris hinted that he could, but Gladio certainly required someone that was just as tough as he was. Prompto, by contrast chased after women even if he had a .0001% chance at her giggling at his comedic antics. Ignis was never sure if Prompto was actually trying to look for a girlfriend or just enjoyed the freedom to express himself. They were all friends and loved each other dearly, but it was a different kind of love that a man and a woman had. So he had always assumed.

When it came to Ignis’ own lack of women in his life, it was a simple factor that could be easily justified. He was busy with his work with the kingdom. Never did he find himself too shy to speak to them, he knew to give them flowers and compliments when the occasion warranted it, but unconsciously he always had drawn the line to keep it professional or casual. He much preferred it and had politely declined any advances if they ventured outside his intended bounds he had established. Since puberty had hit him, he had managed well enough. A few times he found himself masturbating into a silk sock. A primal urge, sometimes to rid himself of pent up stress. A typical reaction to a boy coming of age. There was no one he exclusively pictured when he had performed in private and usually the go-to was tasteful porn or picturing breasts. Everything was done in moderation. Even finding a bride wasn’t wholly out of the question. Assuming that Noctis was in good standing and the Lucian Empire was not in a state of chaos after he had taken the throne, Ignis would pursue personal pleasures in taking a wife. All his plans were perfectly set out and would be executed when the time came. That was… until they all had met Ardyn.

He had understood chaos happened even in paradise, but even if he replayed the details in his mind, it was mind boggling how quickly the world had fallen to ruins. The monster had destroyed so many lives and so many more to come on his quest to fulfill his own desires. And now he found himself in that man’s line of sight.

It was impossible to know how long Ignis had blacked out. It was eerily silent as he woke up and his attention was drawn to the crystal. The strange energy emanating off of it was the same, but he didn’t know if it had been damaged. He tried to stand only to have his legs shudder under him. The throbbing pain started to come back in waves. Ignis didn’t understand it at first as he reached out to touch his knees, then it dawned on him, he was dressed. Disheveled but dressed. Even reaching down, his daggers had been sheathed again, and he could make the outline of his cane resting beside him. To anyone that would have come in, nothing would have seemed amiss, and perhaps that was the point. But Ignis' body was reminding him that all was not well, and he was not fine.

His mind spiraled back to the meeting with Ardyn. That’s right… that bastard _touched_ him. He would have expected brutality, that was a synonymous word that was associated with the deranged psychopath but to assault him in this manner, not even all of his training with the Crownsguard could have prepared him. He could still smell the chancellor on him, the thought made bile rise in the back of his throat and he couldn’t hold it in. Leaning to the side he retched violently. Whatever was in his stomach spilled out on the floor but the worst part was that Ignis had lost something far more sacred than anything that could have been consumed.

It had taken some time for Ignis to pull himself off the floor. Even with the aid of the cane, it was still painful to move. Ignis had more weight pressed onto the cane with each step. He needed to move, but his body hadn’t healed. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might have needed a potion to visit the island so he didn’t take any extra provisions. There was no need, he had made the journey countless times before with no trouble or ill will. Now he was cursing himself. He was the responsible one. The one that was always prepared for the unknown variables, the unexpected hitches, hell even carrying a map to a place that he had been to a dozen times wasn’t anything out of the norm. But now… as each step took him out of the crystal chamber he cursed how soft he had gotten. His vision was of consequence, but something of this nature was wholly unacceptable. This mistake wouldn’t happen again.

When the retainer finally emerged from outside, Ignis could hear the two men coming to greet him. “Mr. Scientia.”

They were too relaxed, had Ardyn slipped away? He didn’t want to alarm them, worse yet, what if he was one of these men? “How are things out here?”

“Good sir! We were actually wondering if we should check on you again. So you had good timing.”

Again? It was impossible that anyone else could have been inside. They would have seen him and knew something was wrong. There was little doubt that Ardyn was masquerading as one of the Kingsguard. The more that he tried to rationalize the man’s behavior it gave him a headache. His equilibrium shuddered and one of the men leaned in to steady Ignis.

“Are you okay?”

 _God no_ … Ignis thought. “I’ll be fine.” He didn’t want to leave the island, not when there was the threat that was looming over Noctis now. He had to do something. “Is… your commander here by chance?”

“No sir… he is on a mission in Cleigne, he won’t return for another few days.”

That was disappointing. He still didn’t know any of the newer leads in charge since the Kingsglaive had been reinstated. It was making the whole affair complicated. Ignis didn’t want to say too much to the wrong person. He had to wait… at least until he could get more information. “I see… please send a message to your commander that I wish to see him whenever he gets a moment. I’ll be in town for a few more days but I’d like to come back after I’ve rested up.”

“Oh, okay.” It was an unusual request but the men didn’t question it. “We shall get a boat ready to go back to the mainland for you then. We can have an escort take you back to the hotel if you’d like. You… don’t look well sir.”

Ignis could only imagine, but it was impossible for him to look for a guide with how late it had been. “That’s fine. Thank you both for your time.” Struggling to keep the pain off his face as he walked, he was led to the docks to be picked up. When the small ferry arrived the Kingsglaive hailed the man. “Emus! Over here!”

Ardyn was amused as he silently watched Ignis board the ferry. Given that no dire emergency alert went out he supposed that Ignis was keeping what he knew to himself. _How very interesting…_ Watching the retainer move into the ferry, it was obvious that the man was still in pain, but he was hiding it well by using the ball of his feet to mask the limp and the cane to shift his support. It was all done so subtly that no one would have been able to detect that something was wrong but Arydn knew. Leading him to a seat, the chancellor sat beside him. “ _You are staying at the main hotel at Galdin Quay right?_ ”

“Yes. My room should be booked already. I just need to be seen to it.”

“ _I see_.” He wondered if anyone else was there but it wasn’t really an important detail. He could easily deal with them.

When the ferry started to move, Ignis lurched forward wincing. He wondered if there was a store open that had potions still open. Maybe he would see before he settled in for the night. For now he could only hope that the waves would be more forgiving as they made the boat rock back and forth. As he did, his body leaned into Ardyn and there was something that registered that made him stiffen. Rather abruptly he stood up, his steps taking him to the side. His hand curled around the metal guard to keep from rocking back and forth as they continued on their journey

Ardyn blinked, wondering what had gotten into the retainer. It looked like Ignis was about to puke. “ _Are... you okay sir_?”

Ignis didn't bother to look back, keeping his attention on the wind.“I’m fine.” He said quietly letting the breeze flow upwind and carry with it a familiar scent that he recognized: aftershave and sandalwood. “Just… a stomach ache is all.”

* * *

The boat ride back to Galdin Quay seemed like it took an eternity to get back. Ignis was distracted, though he had kept to himself the moment he was allowed off the docks. The Kingsglaive captain that had taken them back was given his proper goodbye as Emus led him back to the hotel.

“Ah Mr. Ignis!” The receptionist knew him all too well from his repeated visits.. “Cid already booked your room and sent your suitcase up. Please let us know if we can accommodate you further. Please enjoy your stay.”

Accepting the key card, he started to walk towards it with Emus close behind. “ _You know the way to the room sir _?”__

 _“_ For the most part, yes.” It was one of the few places that he had been here long enough to have a mental map of the layout of the hotel without bumping into everything. True to his word, Ignis seemed to not have any trouble reaching his room using the key card to enter the room.

Without even asking Emus had followed him inside staring at the suitcase by the entrance. _“ _Please let me take your suitcase to your room_.” _

Ignis didn’t bother to stop him, though he had shifted his cane to his left hand. The right hand moved to the dagger sheath. “You are too kind.” He said softly. “What was your name again?”

“ _Emus_.” He mentioned over his shoulder. The sound of the Kingsglaive’s footsteps got softer and Ignis closed the door to the room. After Emus had placed the suitcase away he regarded Ignis. _“Was there anything else I can do for you before I take my leave_?”

“Just one more thing, if you would be so kind.”

“ _And what would that be_?”

Ignis walked closer then, his own breathing had slowed down despite his heart thudding loudly in his chest. “Why… are you following me? Ardyn Izunia.”

It was a good thing that Ignis was blind otherwise he would have been able to see the shock that had overtaken Ardyn’s face. How could he have known? He was so taken aback by the revelation that he hadn’t heard when Ignis had unhooked his dagger swinging it squarely across the Usurper's throat. Ardyn opened his mouth to speak but blackened ooze bubbled forth from his throat. Apparently his body would need to repair itself before his voice box could be of use. It was a mistake, the faint gasping sounds told Ignis all he needed to know. He plunged the daggers straight into the chest cavity desperately trying to carve out the heart that existed only in the flesh but had no threads of humanity left.

How did one kill an immortal? Ignis wrestled with that question on the boat ride back to the mainland. He had been weighing his options heavily how to address Ardyn. If Ignis knew where he was, he wasn’t threatening the crystal. That had been the reason why the small vessel was allowed to sail with no delay. But if Ardyn was willing to follow him, it only meant trouble. There was no doubt that he was making a mistake with identifying the Usurper. Their encounter had been too recent, it was fresh in his mind. He expected to feel blood splash over his face, but instead there were cold wisps of air permeating from the wounds. It wasn’t blood, it was much darker, felt icy cold, caustic like it could suck his very soul out of his body. The feeling had Ignis panic. It had been an all or nothing attack and as he shifted his body weight to force his blade in a downward motion he had every intention on disemboweling the man. He didn’t know the damage he could inflict or if it would even last long but his own impulse to survive had kicked into overdrive when he realized that Ardyn had every intention following him into the room. “Just die…” He choked out.

To _just die_ was a sentiment that this human could never understand. This was one of the few instances where the Usurper could feel actual pain from his wounds. Each drag of the knife was creating more of a mess than he was used to. The lives of the daemons he had absorbed earlier were gone in a matter of seconds. Even his own healing powers, twisted as they were couldn’t stop the dark wisps from spilling out. Oh… this man was serious. Dark energy gathered in the palm of his hands feeling the knife shifting down, his clothing was in ruins now but… that is as far as he’d let this game play out. His hand glowed, gathering power within his palms.

A dark energy blast slammed Ignis square in the chest ejecting him clear across the room. The blast slammed him against the wall, hard enough that an indentation remains a clear sign that something hard had struck it. The cosmetic disruptions were minor compared to the other damage that just happened. He felt it, in that brief instant of bone snapping and pain worming is way in the side of his body. That had to have broken a rib or two.

Ardyn glanced at the sunglasses that had landed near his feet and then looked at Ignis’s face. The heavily scarred skin marred his features. Indeed he was fully blind, there was no way he could have seen Ardyn but... Something was giving him away. His illusions were usually the most potent methods to torture a victim but with this man, it was useless. When Ardyn had seen Ignis get out of his seat on the boat he merely dismissed it as an upset stomach. Now the chancellor was starting to have doubts. He morphed back to his usual self a hand going down to his chest watching the blacked wisps still healing him. “You know… “ He said in his normal voice. “That actually hurt.”

An arm went up to Ignis’ side as he tried to cradle his ribs. He had hoped that he was able to do more harm to the Usurper but given he heard footsteps closing in on him, he supposed that it was nothing but a pipe dream. Was there really no skill he could use to stop the immortal?

“Has anyone ever told you… that you’d be a good assassin?”

Such training was normal for Ignis, and he certainly didn’t deny being an assassin was out of his job description. Fighting in the realm of the shadows wasn’t off limits. If Ignis thought that the skills he acquired could be useful for the sake of Insomnia, the retainer had learned it. “You are still able to talk so I must have not done my task thoroughly enough.”

Oh… he had. Between severing his carotid artery and the knife penetrating his ribcage and damaging the ventricle of the heart, a normal person would have died before he hit the floor. They were both precision blows that gave little time to counter the move. He doubted any ordinary human being would have been able to pull that off even if they could have seen what they were doing. “Try harder next time.” Even with that statement he could feel the body underneath him stiffen. As if the weight of his actions finally made him realize just what he had done. “So... you knew it was me, and yet you said nothing.”

Ignis had thought of it. There were Kingsglaive on the ship of course, more on the mainland. It was a small chance but if there were the right people around it would have been possible to subdue Ardyn. But then what? Even the most seasoned men would have a hard time controlling Ardyn and then there was the matter of the madman turning people into daemons. He could do it… seeing Ravus pitiful state when the last shreds of his humanity was taken the only thing he could utter was “ _kill me_.” Dare he wish such a fate on these men? Ignis couldn’t… he’d be sending them all to their death for a reason that was eating him since he realized Ardyn was following him. He was afraid. It was the instinctual fear that gripped small animals when they knew the apex predator was near. The fear of helplessness and utter despair of being unable to stop the events that would unfold in front of him.

“I take it you wanted me to leave your King alone, so you opted to use yourself for bait? If that is the case, should I not indulge myself?”

“Was that not your intention when you followed me?”

That had given Ardyn pause. “I suppose it was. And are you denying me my rights?”

Of course he wanted to, but he had switched to smoothing out the semantics of their agreement. It had been open ended, completely unintentional by the man’s boldness in degrading him. “You said… you only wanted my body. You never specified how much I was supposed to cooperate.” That included fighting back, or god forbid him finding a way to kill Ardyn in the process. There was a silence that lingered, one where he didn’t know if he had just enraged Ardyn with pointing out the lack of fine details he had imposed. Instead, he just heard the bastard’s twisted laugh.

“Well… I guess that is true. I can’t hold your unwilling participation against you.” Yet Ardyn still did reach down cupping his face. “However my pet, you also shouldn’t hold it against me if I have to be rough with you to… _entice_ your cooperation.”

“You really are… a sick man.”

“Extremely sick.” He doubted that the fool could understand the figurative and literal meaning of his words. “But I don’t deny my indiscretions should society inquire. Yourself included. Perhaps we can discuss it when we aren’t concerned with more pressing matters. You did just try to kill me after all.”

There was no need to ask what he meant by that. He could feel that inhuman strength picking him up. Ignis had always considered himself to be relatively composed, but now, he was overcome with an unshakable fear. Like a wild animal, Ignis swiped and clawed at whatever he could get his hands on. “Let go of me!”

Cute. Ardyn had a feeling he’d get some resistance. It would have been out of character for Ignis to simply resign himself to the fate that lay before him. But in truth, that is what he was starting to enjoy about this one. The blows on his face were simply tolerated as he continued on his path, it hurt but there was no force behind each punch. To quiet Ignis, Ardyn jabbed a fist into the area Ignis had held onto and was greeted with the sound of the man screaming in pain. Two more blows and the retainer had gone limp by the time he was shoved on the bed. Taking Ignis’s wrists within one hand, he held it above the man’s head before leaning down to whisper in his ear. “How should I punish you my pet?”

If the blood could have drained out of Ignis’ face, it would have been that moment. He had gone perfectly still as if wishing he could just disappear off the face of Eos just by imagining it. Instead he felt the weight of the demon pressing against him.

“You are shaking.” Ardyn finally pointed out. “You could ask me to stop.”

“And would you?” Ignis whispered quietly. He didn’t buy it, but he had to ask… to try to show he was not complicit with any of this.

“If you are okay with allowing our agreement to lapse.” But of course the retainer had shown him just how far he’d go for Noctis. “You may want me to stop but the reality is you won’t utter those words. Isn’t that right?”

“I told you… I won’t let you hurt him.”

“And for that reason, you remain mine by your own admission. You gave up every part of your body to me. I have to wonder how your King would feel knowing that one of his servants is soiled in such a manner?”

Ignis really hadn’t been able to comprehend what he would say to Noct… let alone anyone else if this ever came out. While he could justify himself to protecting the King, there was another emotion that was worming its way to the surface. One that made him fear what others would think of him if they knew, if they ever found out.

“How foolish you are.” Clear contempt was evident in the Usurper’s tone. “But I guess you should be thankful that someone is paying attention to you now. Did your own friends declare you too invalid to travel with them?”

“-You know nothing about them! They do what they must, you wretched creature!” He spat back venom knowing that the only person that would have checked on him was Cid. Still, perhaps the threat of Gladio or Prompto showing would make him weary. Ardyn had faced them enough to realize that they could hold their own against the chancellor.

“Indeed, and I suppose that includes trying to keep you safe from the daemons? From beings like me? Is that the reason that I tower over you? Why you can’t scream out for help?”

Ignis visibly flinched when Ardyn had pointed out the obvious. It was the same one that he had wrestled with wondering when he’d see Gladio or Prompto again, if they even would want to see Ignis. That connection that had held them together after all of these years was slipping away. He couldn’t deny that he wouldn’t have been in this mess if he had been with at least one of them.

“It would have been a touching reunion seeing all of you again. Our last meeting together was at the crystal watching the horror on all of your faces as your King was sealed away. I’m sure that you all have had interesting stories about what you’ve been doing since you’ve lost the light that you held so dear.” Rather abruptly a hand went to touch one of the many scars littering Ignis’ face. “I guess I can settle for you as a consolation prize. It had bothered me that the ring favored you enough to spare your life when you are not Lucian royal blood. However, I’m starting to understand why they did it. Perhaps you have another role to fill in this tragic play.” A hand went to the top buttons of Ignis shirt before he started to remove them one by one.

Ignis was confused by that statement and gasped feeling a hand brush over one of his nipples and continue lower, roughly exploring the rest of his body. It was much more thorough than before. He wasn’t sure if Ardyn wanted to make sure that every fold of skin was attached to Ignis or if the bastard was just content with making him squirm with each subtle brush of his fingers on his body. He didn’t want to feel any of it, yet he gasped, whimpered, even cried out as certain areas of his body were given attention. This... couldn't be right. 

Ardyn had noticed the change himself and just chuckled. “You have nowhere to go boy. Enjoy yourself. You might as well get something back for your sacrifice.”

He flipped Ignis on his stomach and the retainer heard the sounds of the chancellor fumbling with his own clothing. He was frozen on the spot despite not being shackled. “Don’t…” He whispered, his voice cracking. Hadn’t he been through enough already? Why this yet again. 

The chancellor only responded by kissing Ignis on his back. “I told you, you are being punished.” Ardyn’s intrusion into his body was just as bad as it was the first time. Given how short the span of time was, Ignis should have been thankful that there wasn’t that much feeling that had been regained that Ardyn callously destroyed once again. The only solace Ignis could be aware of was being taken on the bed had been a step up rather than being fucked on the floor. At least he could grab onto something for dear life. In this case, his fingers were digging into the sheets as if they were the last tangible object holding him tethered to the world. If he let go he’d float away into the abyss.

Ardyn was unforgiving as he remained glued to Ignis unwilling to let the man go. The bed creaked each time he penetrated the body. Every so often he heard Ignis cry out but he had ignored it only biting along his neck and shoulder to elicit more delicious sounds from the man.

 _Don’t beg… don’t beg_. Ignis kept repeating that phrase over again feeling tears starting to run down his face. Would it have made a difference? He doubted it. The man seemed to only want a vessel to use as he saw fit. He’d only be giving Ardyn more satisfaction, a reason to use his own actions against him. Systematically his body was being marked, the more obvious signs of his time spent with the demon becoming etched into his very flesh. Ignis was starting to wonder in that moment if being blinded was a godsend. It was comforting to know he was unable to see such reminders if he looked at himself in the mirror or worse, if he could see the satisfaction on the monster’s face as he was devoured.

* * *

Truthfully Ardyn hadn’t meant to stay with Ignis all night. Well, _night_ was a relative term since the sun no longer existed, but far longer than he had planned. His gaze moved to the clock knowing that he had been around for well over five hours. He could have left well after he had gotten his way with his newly acquired pet. Perhaps fuck him one last time for good measure. It wouldn’t have hurt his feelings if he hadn’t seen the retainer again after this entire ordeal. Noctis would have remained protected regardless. Ardyn would patiently wait until the King had emerged and continue what they had started since Insomnia fell. He’d have it no other way. That had been his intention... but now he found himself staring at the unconscious body curled up in the farthest corner of the room.

Ignis had cursed him in the aftermath of their sex, but he had noticed that the man kept shaking... Still, Ardyn had merely brushed it off allowing the man to do what he wished. Ignis had used the chancellor’s sudden lack of interest to escape from the bed. He supposed the intention had been to get to the bathroom to wash himself off, but the first time the retainer had tried to stand ended up with him collapsing on the floor with an audible whimper. The humiliation deepened further when he ended up having to crawl away from the bed using only his upper body to propel him forward. Naked and ravished, he had missed his mark only to give up curled in the corner. In Ignis’ haste, or perhaps the adrenaline poisoning his rational thinking, the human had wandered in the opposite direction where he was only greeted with a wall.

Ardyn had watched Ignis’s display, not daring to impede his efforts or offering the least bit of help as the man finally grew frustrated before he had just curled up into a fetal position. The chancellor hadn’t been as rough as last time, but he supposed it hardly mattered when he was dealing with a virgin. Well… a _near_ virgin. He had left himself so vulnerable Ardyn wondered if Ignis had expected to be just killed. The thought had crossed his mind. It wasn’t as though he needed Ignis for anything of great importance, but then again why not draw out the man’s suffering? It was obvious that Ignis was not willing to prevent this as long as he believed he was protecting his King, and Ardyn had no intention of dissuading such a stubborn man. When he had seen no other obvious movements, only then did Ardyn bother to remove himself from the bed reaching down to his discarded clothing. In his jacket he pulled out an elixir before stalking over to Ignis. The medication was poured over the more obvious wounds he had inflicted on the retainer.

“Let’s not let you die so soon.” He mused more to himself as he retreated back on the bed collapsing on the mattress once again. It wasn’t as though he had anywhere pressing to be. Niflheim was in shambles after Ardyn’s departure and the deaths of Iedolas, Verstael, and Titus, there wasn’t much of a hierarchy left to plunge the empire into the glory days that it held so dear. He had seen the sordid play time and time again, the ensuing chaos brought out the worst in the people. It always amazed him how destructive humans could be, how cruel their impulses were shifted when they faced death. In every instance, all he could think back to was Somnus and his treachery.

The sound of the hotel phone ringing had cut into the otherwise silent room. The nightstand was near Ardyn, and he narrowed his eyes as the sound echoed waking Ignis from his sleep. The retainer looked like he wanted to move towards it, but he didn’t bother. Giving an exasperated sigh, the chancellor pressed the intercom button to end the infernal noise.

“Ignis?” Cid’s drawl cracked through the loudspeaker. “Ignis? You there?”

This couldn’t be happening. Ignis obviously wasn’t comfortable and he hesitated speaking. “Yeah Cid?” He expected Ardyn to speak up, but the man was virtually silent allowing the mechanic to continue.

“Dammit son, pick up sooner next time. Ya had me worried!”

Still the chancellor didn’t try to speak which made Ignis wonder. Just what was his game now? It wasn’t like he could ask, so the retainer merely tried to put on an unassuming disposition as he responded. “My apologies.” Ignis murmured, clearing his throat. “I spent a bit more time with Noct than I had meant to.”

“Mmm I gotcha. Was starting to wonder if I was gonna have to ask a Kingsglaive to drag your ass back to sleep.” There was a pause though before an audible sigh came through the phone. “Listen, got some Huntsman that need some parts detailed so be sticking around a lot longer than normal.” Even Ignis could tell the old man seemed tired. Emergency services and the likes had been amped up considerably since the sun had stopped rising. Cid was old, but he was one of the best mechanics and not even Ignis seemed to be surprised that his skills were needing to be put to good use. “Sure you won’t mind, but might as well make yourself at home for a bit longer. Maybe head down to the bar to see if you can help out if you get bored. I’ll try to keep you updated, but it’s gonna be another few days before we could head back at this rate.”

In another moment of time, Ignis wouldn’t have minded such circumstances but now… he had another growing problem to contend with. Ardyn would have access to him practically uninterrupted.

“You okay Ignis?”

Goddamnit Cid! The one time he needed the old man to not stretch out a conversation, this would be it. Ignis had to get him off the phone. “I’m fine…just a touch tired myself.” Stupid lie, but the only thing that his mind could come up with in the haze. “I was actually going back to bed. It’s been a long day.”

“Ah, I see. Can’t offer much right now but don’t stay cooped up in that room or on the island alright? Will have the front desk keep an eye out for you if you need anything in the meantime.”

“Alright, thanks.” When he heard the click of the receiver, Ardyn hung up the call.

“How touching.” Ardyn mused. “So… is he the one that’s been looking after you? An old man tending to the blind youth. Seems there is something wrong with that picture.” He didn’t recognize Cid’s voice at all. But given how “old” the gruff voice sounded, Cid was unlikely someone that Ignis would drag along with him like Gladio or Prompto... not without good reason.

Ignis was thankful in that moment it was just a phone call and not the mechanic visiting him personally. Glad that he didn’t have to worry about the old man stopping by, the retainer’s remaining energy waned before he relaxed on the floor. For some reason, he felt better. His wounds didn’t hurt as much as before, but he didn’t want to get up just yet. Ardyn on the other hand did move into the bathroom where he heard the sound of the water flowing from the shower. It finally hit Ignis why he couldn’t find the blasted room…

By the time Ardyn had emerged from washing off, he had donned the persona of Emus stalking closer to Ignis. He didn’t appear to try to move or run when he had the chance. A boot tipped under the retainer’s neck, forcing the man’s head up. __“_ I do believe it's time I went about my other business. I do hope you rest up_. _”_

The tone might have changed, but Ignis was hardly fooled by Ardyn’s persona. “And I should care?”

Ardyn grinned. “ _I think you do. You wish to know if I’m not bothering your King correct? It’s a nice trade off. Who knows? Maybe you will be genuinely happy to receive my company during these long nights_.”

Ignis clearly knew that would never be the case. What was becoming more clear is that Ardyn was planning to torture him and as much as he was contemplating what to do to shift the situation in his favor, he was drawing a blank. “If you are going to kill me, then just do it Ardyn.”

Hearing that did make him tip his head to the side. Was that defeat? No… it was too matter-of-fact. If anything, he could swear that saying such words only infuriated the boy. “ _I have considered it. But given that the Lucii ring spared your life at the cost of your sight. I’ll humor their warped sense of irony._ ” Giving a gentle nudge, he removed his boot from the retainer before heading to the entrance leaving the man to his own devices. “ _Until our next session, my pet. Don’t disappoint me_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The anagram I mentioned regarding Ardyn’s stolen identity dressed as a Kingsglaive in this chapter stems from lucis Caelum


	3. The Silver Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not just pity, Gladio.” But if he was honest with himself, perhaps he would always have that feeling. “Iggy... he deserves what dignity he has left. To not feel abandoned because he wanted to protect Noct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man… finally got around to planting down the chapters. You’ll have to forgive me for the delay, but I needed to do this so the story would be more cohesive. Unless something crazy happens, each chapter now has a prewritten script I’m following. The downside is that sometimes when a particular scene comes to mind, I will skip around to complete it regardless of whatever chapter it is in. This is what caused chapter 3 to take longer to write but on the other hand, the ending to the story has a lot written which means less downtime when I get there. 
> 
> Some events will be changed from what was displayed in the original game/DLC for the sake of this story’s continuity. I realized that after looking up some information, I was mistaken on some key points in the first and second chapter. My rule is once it gets published (especially with a writing prompt), it becomes canon within the story. I would rather keep the alteration going forward than retcon to not confuse my past readers. 
> 
> That being said, thank you so much for the kudos! If you choose to leave a comment I will try to respond as much as I can. 

The note that Ardyn had left on was disconcerting. Although the footsteps of the monster were indeed getting fainter as he walked away, Ignis was still apprehensive that it was another trick. If it was, Ignis wouldn’t fall for it again. Nothing had happened though. The silence stretched longer until only the faint sounds of the wall clock made Ignis aware that he still was here, and alive. He was hesitant using the wall for support to sit up. There was no doubt that Ardyn had given him some type of healing potion when he had passed out. It hadn’t completely healed the ribs or even brought feeling back to his legs but he had stopped bleeding and the pain had slowed to a dull thud. “Bastard…” Between calling Ignis his pet and showing such hollowed compassion to minimize his injuries, the madman was mocking him. 

He could still smell Ardyn on him, he could smell his own body's betrayal as his lust was ignited from the assault. He didn’t know if the Usurper had picked up on that detail when he had been doing everything in his power to muffle the cries between the bedsheets. It was one of the reasons he had been quick to leave the bed after Ardyn had his way with him. Why had he orgasmed with that demon of all people? There was hardly anything pleasurable about the assault, no displays of affection or moments that two lovers should have shared. Yet his body had ignored all of that in favor for such unwanted bliss. 

The retainer’s cheeks reddened from the shame. He had to clean himself up. With one shakey step taken in front of the other, Ignis navigated to the bathroom before curling into the corner of the shower. The water ran until he had exhausted all of the hot water. Even when the temperature dropped, Ignis didn’t seem phased by it. No matter how much he washed himself, he didn’t feel clean, he supposed it would never be enough even if he peeled his skin right off his body. He supposed this is what it felt like when such assaults happened. No matter how much he had heard about it, it was so much worse than what he had imagined.

Eventually, Ignis had dragged himself out of the shower turning his attention to the other concerning detail that had been bothering him: the bed. He never had put much stock into it before but now… it was a stigmata. Ardyn defiled him there, his personal space. He wondered if he lit the sheets on fire would that be an acceptable response to making sure he’d never have to touch them, smell them, or interact with them ever again. He hadn’t used magic since Noct had disappeared. The power was unforgiving burning friend and foe alike. It would do the job he supposed. But as he mulled over how to pull off such an act a thought did occur to him. 

“Good god, what is wrong with me?” He whispered. He was legitimately contemplating burning down the hotel for the sake of some bed linen. Shaking his head he ripped the sheets off discarding them on the floor. He could only hope that the maid that came to do housekeeping wouldn’t say much to the sight of the blood. That was not a conversation worth having with anyone. 

He collapsed on the bare mattress knowing that the room was in disarray. For someone that had been fastidious in organizing data and materials himself the state of the room was a blot in the personality he had cultivated for himself in the name of Insomnia. He didn’t care, all he wanted to do was sleep. Being unconscious was the only mercy the Astrals could give him and he glady accepted it. 

* * *

One aspect about guns that Prompto had become aware of when he handled the weapon was that there was a sense of dissociation. For a soldier, that was a wonderful quality since he knew nothing about an enemy and wouldn’t bond with them. Any type of human attachment meant that it would make him hesitate to make the critical shot. If one hesitated, people that he cared about, his allies could die. His eyes had begun to adjust to the flashlights that had been developed by the Hunters to go after daemons. It had been important to make sure that it was bright enough to look around the surrounding area but not blinding to the wearer. The improvements had been subtle, but they had noticed the differences the more monster campaigns went on. It made the daemon’s much easier to spot and kill at a safer distance and prevented ambushes. 

Prompto had made a sniper’s nest on the top of the hill as the Hunter’s moved in on a pack of daemons. Gladio was with them and he was the backup as they cleared out strongholds of the more powerful entities. Before it was only on the outskirts of the town, but then they had started to spread out further to other establishments and key outposts and safehouses. It was strange, at the start it had been simply to make lives easier as people adjusted to the long night. The Hunters certainly had succeeded in that, but it was only part of the growing problem. Prompto was sure that the daemons were spreading even with their interventions with the monster hunting. Lately he kept thinking about Ignis and Noctis. How badly were the infestations where they were? “Going back home couldn’t come soon enough.” He murmured. Their new home had been Hammerhead. Cid and Cindy had been more than happy to take Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto in after going to Gralea. They had owed the old man a lot. And well, seeing Cindy was always a plus. Picturing the grease monkey mechanic made him smile. 

The sounds of the daemons shrieking pulled him back out of his daydreams about the woman staring back into his scope. His finger curled around the trigger as they came towards the Hunters and pulled. The sound of the audible pop of the shot rang out as the bullet embedded itself in the behemoth’s left eye. The beast howled as he reared back on his hindlegs and he heard the familiar voice bellowing to cut it down. Even from this distance, the sound of an animal in the throes of death never got easier. Daemon or not, he just wished they would go down easier. He lined up his sight on the next and fired again, and again and until eventually there was nothing left but silence. 

Prompto bundled up his gear, making his way to the other Hunters after the all clear had been given. Gladio was easy to spot, the shield easily towered over the others with his physiac. While he wasn’t the “official” commander, the gunner had heard talks of making him the marshal of the Crownsguard like his father before him. With all of the chaos happening though, the politics had been put on the backburner in favor of action on the field. He was sure that Gladio wouldn’t have it any other way. Prompto couldn’t make out what was said, but after he saw the shield and another higher ranking hunter exchange a few words before they parted ways. “Hey buddy, is everything okay?” 

“Of course.” Gladio said, pulling out a map and making a mark over the next region. The last few areas were marked as huge monster sightings, but it seemed that when the Hunters had gotten a handle on one, another popped up yet again. “Got another report of monsters appearing. Debating on if we need to get some more reinforcements before going forward.” 

“Another hot spot?” 

“More or less.” 

There was a frown as the gunner looked at his rifle. “Gladio… I wanted to go back to Hammerhead after this job. I thought this would be the last one we were doing before heading back.” 

It was odd to hear Prompto complain about anything which had the shield regarding him. “There is still a lot of work that needs to be done.” 

“-I know that.” Prompto suddenly blurted out. “But… it’s been a while since we’ve had some down time. I do want to help everyone. That will never change but... “ 

“But what?” Gladio countered, his gaze moving to give the other man his full attention. When the silence persisted, a thought did occur to him why the gunner had insisted on going to Hammerhead of all places. “This about your girlfriend you haven’t confessed your love to yet?” While the shield did recognize that Prompto seemed to have more than enough feelings for Cindy, the way this conversation was going had made even his lighthearted jab seem out of place. When Prompto’s gaze moved to the ground, he was sure of it. “...This is about Ignis isn’t it?” He said quietly. Although the two had brought up the retainer in passing, he had tried to keep the conversation to the minimum because of the circumstances. “He’s out of harm's way. What more is there to do for him?” 

“It’s been over a month… you’ve seen how these daemons keep becoming bolder and more unpredictable. There isn’t anything to say they are respawning and causing damage. What if they are and we don’t know that? “ 

“We get updates constantly from the outposts.” Even Gladio couldn’t help but noticed he had said that statement too fast. But he had a feeling this argument would come about. He hadn’t told Prompto, but he was going out of his way to make sure that Ignis wasn’t in trouble. He had made it a point to check on Hammerhead daily to make sure there were no hot spots that formed there. “I haven’t heard anything happening there recently, so I assume all is well on that end.” 

Gladio did have him there, but even so Prompto found himself staring at the corpses of the daemons. “It’s not the same. I didn’t know we’d be gone this long.” That was the issue that he found himself wondering. Ignis had always been around them in some capacity to fulfill his duties but now he had no one familiar to him. Not to say he was around strangers, he was sure that Cid and Cindy were treating him well, but that had to be a huge adjustment on top of the more obvious ones that the retainer was struggling with. 

A hand rested on the bridge of Gladio’s forehead as he thought about it. “Look… I admit things have been getting a bit crazy lately. It is taking longer than the Hunter’s told us, but some good has come about it. You’ve said so yourself the monsters have been getting worse. Us dealing with them means other people get to live in safety. It’s a small price to pay.” 

“Are you really content with doing this? Chasing after daemons? None of us even know when Noct will come back. We know so little about what is going to happen...” Ardyn had only left all of them with cryptic words that Noctis would be absorbing the crystal but after the third day of waiting for him to emerge, the uncertainty began to set in. Clearly Ardyn wanted Noctis there for a reason so he expected and was confident that the King would emerge to stop Ardyn. 

“I know that.” The Shield’s tone was hollow at the mention of it. Watching Noctis get sucked into the crystal was hard enough. As was knowing that he was just trapped there, not dead, but not alive either. Ignis might as well have been in the same boat as Noctis with his vision. He had seen the retainer make strides to improve himself, but it wasn’t enough. Not to go back to the normal regiment the trio were used to. Gladio had always prided himself to being a shield to the King but there was no way he’d endanger Ignis for the sake of the man’s pride. “You feeling pity for Ignis isn’t going to change anything Prompto.” 

“It’s not  _ just _ pity, Gladio.” But if he was honest with himself, perhaps he would always have that feeling. “Iggy... he deserves what dignity he has left. To not feel abandoned because he wanted to protect Noct.” 

Abandoned? Surely the gunner was overreacting. As far as Gladio had compartmalized it, he was keeping the man safe by keeping him away. “I’ve told you before Prompto, he needs to adjust with his blindness. That will take time.” 

“-And how much time are you going to make him sit out? He went blind for the sake of Noct… for us. Do you really think he’d take it well if you try to paint him out as being worthy of a retirement home? Especially now? It wasn't his choice, it’s why Noct told him he could stay after all that shit happened in Altissia.” Even trying to picture Ignis loafing about in a home made the gunner frown. “We basically did that you know. Sentenced him to a gilded cage.” 

Unconsciously Gladio already knew that he had done just that. He had been disappointed that Noctis hadn’t relieved Ignis of his duty. Ignis did all he could for their King and he didn’t deserve to continue to weigh what he perceived as unrealistic expectations on his shoulders. Time and time again he had tried to make both Ignis and Prompto understand that it was okay to walk away…leave the fighting to someone else. The argument went in circles much as he saw this one going. “What do you want me to say exactly?” 

“Don’t you miss him Gladio?” 

“...Of course I do.” It was hard not to have both Ignis and Noctis in his thoughts these days. There was a silence that lingered between the pair as they considered their options. Finally the shield relented with an audible sigh. “Alright, fine. We’ll take a break.” He saw the way the gunner’s eyes lit up and just shook his head. “This has been on your mind for a while huh?” 

“Too long.” Prompto admitted slinging the rifle over his shoulder. “There will be plenty of daemons waiting for us later. We can always come back, but I really just want to check on things.” Relieved that they would be getting out of the fray for a while, the gunner hummed to himself already having his mood lifted inexorably.

“I’ll hold you to it." A hand went to Prompto’s shoulder offering a smile. “Let’s see if we can grab a ride and head back.” 

* * *

Ardyn didn’t need to sleep, eat, or even breathe if he deemed it. When he had done any action, he had done so purely to look more human than what he was. That is all this was when he thought about it in hindsight. A giant act, a grand stage, and he was an actor that had his role to play. He got to watch the Kingsglaive be built up from the ashes. It was an amazing feat considering Bahamut had decided that it was a good idea to hold all of the Glaives responsible for Niflheim’s obvious power move against the Lucian Crown. The absurdity of the Astral dragon never ceased to amaze him. 

The all knowing, and all powerful God of light. Funny how he simply waited while the world was plunged into darkness for his own selfish reasons. Under the guise of Emus, he purged Angelgard once again of the encroaching daemons. He gasped softly feeling the memories of them flooding back. It was always like watching a bad movie that had neither an end or a beginning. A flash of the strongest emotion felt, the extreme of sadness and love, hate and lust. No matter what it was, it represented the human condition. And how he hated them all. When he had gotten a handle on purging them did he compose himself before going back to the Kingsglaive headquarters. It was a fine way to end the day. 

One thing that surprised Ardyn as he signed out for his shift was he hadn’t heard a word from Ignis. The retainer was hurt… but there was little doubt that he could have contacted the commander about his infiltration here. Hell, he still went by Emus just for shits and giggles and hadn’t even altered his appearance. Yet nothing had changed, and no one had come after him under this persona.  _ What are you thinking boy _ ? He thought to himself. 

“Emus, wait.” 

Even hearing his name being uttered, Ardyn couldn’t help but let out a sigh. These men were such a needy bunch. Nevertheless, he turned to the Glaive acknowledging the man’s presence. One of the regular foot soldiers, no one of consequence. “ _ What is it? I was about to turn in for the day _ .” 

“The commander was wondering if you wanted to go help deal with some daemon’s outside of Snulhend Pass. There is a cluster of them starting to emerge. Took out two of our members so the situation is getting dire.” 

Foolish humans. Still, that did give him some insight as to how powerful the daemons were getting if they had gotten two trained members. It was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up though he laminated at the thought of leaving so abruptly. Here he had wanted to torment his pet just to make sure he hadn’t died on him. Then again, what was a few days? Even if Ignis fled, he doubted that the man could stay away from the crystal now that he knew what was at stake. He was curious to see what the man would do now. “ _ That will be fine. I’d be happy to help _ .” It wasn’t that he was overly invested in the Kingsglaive but it was always touching to see the men struggle. It was a battle they were going to lose in the end, he might as well watch their last stand. “ _ Let me know when we head out and I’ll be there _ .” 

The Glaive smiled, clearly relieved to have recruited another for the cause. “Appreciate it Emus. You’ve always been good at getting rid of the monsters. Kinda jealous how easy you make it seem.”

Ardyn could only smile, though it was a fake one. The emotion started with his lips but didn’t reach his eyes. A disingenuous mocking of how weak he thought this man was. “ _ Easy you say? I wouldn’t take it that far _ .” He had always made it a point to kill the demons when no one was around. Although certainly he was capable of killing them in the presence of the Kingsglaives, he usually had to wait to siphon the daemons until he was alone. 

“Then what do you call it?” 

“ _ Just the will to survive _ .” 

The Glaive thought hard about that implication. "We all want that… that's why we are going to destroy the daemons before they come to us." 

" _ And if you are destroyed in the process _ ?" Emus asked. 

Hesitating, the Glaive merely looked away before murmuring. "Then it was an honor to serve the King."

“ _ I see _ .” Ardyn's mouth pressed together, an expected but typical response. " _ Then I pray that the Astrals see the worth for your sacrifice _ ." The Lucians certainly did like to take this chivalry code to the extreme. It was maddening that all of them embraced the idea of death so easily. He was starting to wonder if humans really were so different from the daemons, at least the creatures of the night were driven by instincts. These men had no excuse for throwing their lives away for such a foolish reason. 

* * *

Ignis had stayed in the hotel room until he could walk fully again with no noticeable limp in his step or his ribs bothered him. He had lost any sense of time, the only thing he had become aware of is when the housekeeper had barged in on Ignis and while he was sleeping. Unfortunately she knew of him which made the situation more awkward as he used the comforter to cover himself up and hid in the bathroom to grab a robe. Whatever the woman was thinking, she kept it to herself as she cleaned up the room for him even changing the sheets. 

“Is there anything else that you will need Mr. Scientia?”

“No, that will be all. Just a rough night is all.” 

It was a horrible lie, but he never deviated from it. She didn’t believe Ignis, but the housekeeper merely went about her duties and quickly excused herself. It was impossible to say if she had said anything to anyone, but Ignis had noticed Cid had made it a point to call every six hours he wasn’t working on his various projects. Ignis gave the half-hearted excuse he had gotten sick which only inspired the old man to make sure room service did a welfare check too. He got fed, had a roof over his head but there was no real peace that the retainer felt knowing what the old man was trying to do for him. 

Ardyn hadn’t visited him since he followed him that night. Anxiety and fear were constant emotions that the retainer had cycled through when he was recovering. Not knowing was far more problematic than Ardyn announcing his presence. At least then he would have more time to prepare. Now everything was left to chance. Still, he could only hope to minimize the damage. Fighting Ardyn physically wasn’t to his benefit, he still needed to figure out a way to kill him, so for the time being he’d have to avoid him. 

Ignis had weighed the option to alert the Kingsglaive, but he could see no good outcome that would result in it. Maybe if Gladio or Prompto were around he’d feel more at ease to have the knowledge of people that he trusted would be up to taking down the monster. He didn’t doubt the Kingsglaive’s loyalty to the crown, but there was too much risk for everything to go wrong if he made a mistake. There was no way to know who else Arydn was impersonating within the Glaive nor did he understand the man’s motive. Surely if he wanted to kill Noctis he could have whether he was at Angelgard or not. It was just like the Usurper said, the only way to know what Ardyn was doing was for him to come to Ignis.

_ How utterly frustrating _ … He couldn’t let Ardyn win like this. Picking up his cane he left his room knowing that at least if he was in public, the Usurper wouldn’t be apt to blow his cover. So Ignis could only hope, he was gambling playing this mass game of chess. 

  
  
  


Galdin Quay used to be a resort town in it’s prime, but now with the world plunged in darkness, only the locals were brave enough to try to make it work. Since it was off the Angelgard island, the Kingsglaive had long wanted to use Galdin Quay as another outpost. Unlike many places, the conversion was relatively easy to justify. It was hard to argue the importance of keeping the resting place of the King safe when even Bahamut gave his blessing. 

The issue Galdin, and many places in Eos had was how to artificially keep away the daemons. The higher the human population grew, even electricity wasn't enough of a guarantee they would stay away. It was no wonder why being a Hunter was a prime employment opportunity for many. No longer was Niflheim an existential threat, just trying not to get devoured by the daemons regardless of past affiliation was the only thing that everyone was focused on. It was the ultimate test of survival from any side, background, and class. The shift had been sudden, yet the people were still emotionally raw from the prolonged war and the discourse between the Lucians and Nilfheims. What was another notch that followed in what was becoming a nightmarish hellscape across the land? 

Following his own mental map that he created for the hotel, Ignis made his way to the lobby following the sound of voices. Reaching the bar, he carefully sat on the seat as he was addressed by the bartender there. 

“Ah Mr. Scientia, good to see you up and about sir.”

“Thank you kindly.” 

“Would you like the usual?” 

“Whatever is easier to make.” Which was a translation to:  _ the cheapest thing you can get for me _ . While the retainer did have enough class for a connoisseur of the highest pedigree, it hardly seemed appropriate these days. Cid seemed to be footing the bill for practically everything for him. Although the old man had never brought up any financial stress to him specifically, surely the man could use some gil.  _ Useless again _ … he thought to himself. He really should be trying to do more to help Cid. When the tender brought his meal, he dug into it happy to have something on his stomach. The meat was tender, slathered in a white wine sauce with some mushrooms and rice. Chocobo meat perhaps but he didn’t ask. He just ate it as if it was the first meal he could actually enjoy since this entire ordeal began.

By the time he finished, he thanked the bartender as his dishes were taken away and felt the breeze flow over him. The scent of sea salt was the first thing that Ignis registered. He remembered Noctis passing the time fishing while they waited for the boat to go to Altissia. Literally here was the freshest seafood had managed to cook since they had left Insomnia and the taste was incredible. He doubted that the others had noticed, but Ignis was happier to work with fish to prepare dinner. Too bad he couldn’t have experimented with more recipes. There were enough unique sea creatures to make several dishes and he wondered if the sea life had been able to adapt with the sudden changes of the long night. Something worth exploring perhaps. 

Ignis pondered what to do. Maybe he should have taken Cid's advice and try to help out around the bar. It would take some adjustments and perhaps a sous chef but it could work. He had done the same thing at Hammerhead with little trouble. "Say," the retainer started out speaking to the bartender when he heard the man coming closer. "Are you in need of help around here?"

"Hmm? Help?" The man seemed genuinely surprised by the question. "Always could use some help around here. Never know when there will be an influx of soldiers that come here."

"Might you have some things for me to do around the kitchen then?"

There was a pause before the tender considered it. What could he do that would keep the man busy but not so demanding. "Maybe so... I admit I'd have to think about what you can do for now. Gimmie a bit to think about it?"

"Of course." Ignis said. He really wasn't sure what he expected, but at least he could say that he tried.

As he waited, a pair of footsteps came towards the retainer and he couldn't help but notice that they stopped rather abruptly beside him. "Oh, you are out of your room."

The voice was of a prepubescent boy. Certainly not one that would have immediately jarred with Ignis, yet he knew that he recognized it somehow. He turned his head towards it. "Might I help you?" 

“Don’t tell me you forgot about me already.” A pout pulled at the youth’s mouth and when he didn’t hear anything more from the retainer he sighed. “It’s me, Talcott. You are Ignis right?”

“Talcott?” That’s right… It was Jared’s grandson, part of the Amicitica bloodline. Just having a familiar face still at Galdin Quay was a welcome surprise. “I didn’t know you were still here.” He wouldn’t have blamed the boy if he fled the area. The boy was understandably scarred with what happened with his grandfather Jared and those awful Niflheim troops when the war had first broke out. 

“I wasn’t.” He admitted quietly. “But… a few of the Crownsguard had needed help here to restore power. My family figured it would be bad if we didn’t try to help the cause.” 

That did explain it. He supposed Galdin was a top priority for all of the Lucians still loyal to the King. “That is admirable. I am sure that you’ll do everything in your power to help.” 

“Hah, I guess.” The boy said sheepishly. “Actually… Cid said you were feeling ill and I wanted to stop by.” 

He only smiled at Talcott. “I should have known this was the old man’s doing. If it helps though, I’m feeling much better. Guess I caught a bug on the way over here.” It should have bothered him that he was lying so easily about a very serious problem, but what was Cid or Talcott supposed to do against a man that rivaled the Astral’s themselves? 

“I’m glad to hear it!” The boy exclaimed cheerfully. “Hey, if you aren’t doing anything, would you mind helping me with something?” 

“Of course.” Although after he said that, he wondered what type of job the boy was doing. 

“It’s gathering some metals again. I still know where all of the precious deposits are behind the waterfall near town. Some of the craftsmen could use them for some parts here.” 

“I see.” Ignis seemed genuinely thoughtful at the prospect. It would give him something to do, looks like helping out around the bar would take some time. “If you could show me where to dig, I can help you with that.” 

“Really?” Talcott seemed ecstatic that he had recruited him. “I didn’t want to go by myself but couldn’t ask anyone else.” 

_ Cid, you old fox _ . He wondered exactly how much of it was the mechanic’s idea. “It’s fine. Although the waterfall is close to the town, there still may be some daemons out there. It isn’t wise to go by yourself.” 

“Y-yeah, that is what a lot of people have told me. But you know, if everyone is putting their lives on the line, I should too. So um… can I leave you for a sec to grab my gear?” 

“Of course, I’ll be here.” True to his word, the retainer did stay put until the youth came back. Taking his small hand, he let Talcott guide him making a mental map from the lobby to the cave entrance giving him a shovel. 

"It's been a while since I have been here." 

Ignis didn’t want to bring up any bad memories so he opted for the safest route trying to make small talk. “What have you been doing these days?” 

“Honestly?” Talcott thought about it as he dug the shovel into the dirt. “Been doing a lot of metallurgy studies. I guess there aren’t a lot of artisan uses for them currently, but they do help with conducting light and with weapons.” 

“Makes sense.” Ignis said. “Are you working with Iris by chance?" 

"Mmm, no." The youth admitted. "She is helping out with the Crownsguard. She didn't really say what she was doing. But thought it would be best if I stayed behind here. Got some family friends I’m staying with, although they are busy helping out with the electrical grid."

Meaning it was a special mission more than likely. Ignis was out of the loop with the Crownsguard reforming to deal with the long night, but they still operated just like the Kingsglaive or the Hunters. He was sure that Gladio was leading if not heavily involved so he didn’t feel the need to worry. “It’s frustrating isn’t it? Being left behind.” 

Talcott sighed sadly. “Very... It’s like they don’t trust me.” 

Ignis certainly knew that feeling all too well but Talcott was young. There was no reason for him to be a soldier yet when he wasn’t even able to enjoy a normal life now. “The Amicitia family has their clout and you are a part of them. I don’t believe that trust is the issue.” 

“Then what is it?” 

Ignis’s shovel struck something hard causing the sound of the metal to ring as it came in contact with the shovel. Bending on his knees, he started to remove the dirty with his hand until his fingers landed on the ore. “You don’t have to grow up so fast Talcott.” 

Pouting the youth’s gaze moved what Ignis was uncovering. Pushing his flashlight over the area, he recognized what it was immediately. “You found some whitestone ore.” Using his short knife, he helped Ignis unearth the metal. When he did, he placed the ore Ignis’s hand considering what the other man was saying. “What’s wrong with growing up?” 

“Nothing at all.” Ignis answered simply. “But, I think you are the first person I’ve seen that had a talent for this type of work. Sounds like a much better use of your time than worrying about the work of the Crownsguard. You are still helping the people here. That has always been a core component being a member.” The retainer offered the ore to Talcott. “I’m just helping you remember? This is yours.” 

Talcott accepted it, placing it in the satchel he brought with him. “What about you? You’re a grown up, don’t you want to fight like before?” 

_ So very badly _ . Ignis thought. “I do…” He said honestly. “But I suppose things happen for a reason. That doesn’t mean that I will settle for what has happened. I plan to overcome any obstacle before me, and that is what you should do too. That is what it means to protect what you hold dear.” 

“Ignis,” He murmured. “How can you say that so confidently?” He was blind… losing eyesight was not simply a misplaced weapon or lack of knowledge, it was a real handicap that had no easy fix. 

Taking hold of his shovel Ignis stood up again. “Because I want to prove my critics wrong.” And that is what it came down to. That was the weight that he found himself struggling with, not only with Ardyn, but even Prompto and Gladio. His worth hadn't diminished, his loyalty to Noctis hadn't faded. He knew he could still be useful even with the circumstances. He only had to make them understand with actions so he would find a way to overcome this by his own invocation. 

The pair spent the area for an hour and when Talcott had a good am enough to fill his satchel the two retired. Normally Ignis would have been mortified having himself covered in dirt, but in this case it had been worth it. He could tell Talcott was in much better spirits and he was too. The boy guided Ignis to the entrance of the hotel before letting go of the retainer’s hand. "Um... Ignis, thanks for today."

"Anytime." The retainer responded. “If you need help again, don’t be a stranger.” Ignis heard the boy’s footsteps growing fainter before turning to head back to his room. As he did, he felt a hand land on his shoulder before giving a light squeeze to stop him in his tracks. Already the retainer’s body stiffened, his grip on his cane tightening before he was addressed. 

“There you are.” The voice seemed a bit ragged as if he had been running a marathon. “You are a hard man to find.” 

It couldn’t be. A hand went out to grab the wrist that landed on him and felt an all too familiar pair of fingerless gloves. “...Prompto?” Ignis finally murmured. 

“The one and only!” Although the gunner tried to turn it into a lighthearted jest, he couldn’t help but feel relieved. He was thankful that he managed to find the retainer before he had gone back to Hammerhead. “… it’s been a while Iggy.”

A rush of relief washing over his body. It was so childish but he reached out trying to grab into the man’s hand holding it up to his face. Of course in the back of his mind, he had thought back to Ardyn’s trick, but the scent permeating from the gunner was different. It was actual gunpowder and something else that he hadn’t yet recognized. There were no tell-tell signs of aftershave or sandalwood here, it was all… new. Not a deception. 

Blinking, Prompto tilted his head to the side. “Buddy, are you okay?” 

  
“Y-yeah…” Ignis said sheepishly before letting him go. “Sorry, there has just been a lot going on.” And how he wanted to tell him  _ everything _ ... 


	4. Colliding Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Committing yourself to being the sacrificial lamb will get you nothing but heartache in the short life you have left. But if you really believe that it will help your cause, far be it from me to prevent your attempts of grander."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive how long this chapter took to update. I hope that the content will prove that it was worth the wait.

Author's Note: Just in case readers hadn't picked up on this: Ardyn speaking with italics means that he is using the "voice" of Emus. Non-italicized speech is spoken with his normal voice.

* * *

"Is it really you?" Ignis finally said after some time. Admittedly, it was like waking up from a dream. His nose didn't lie and this hardly looked like one of Ardyn's tricks.

"Of course it is! Didn't think we'd forget about you would you?"

It was hard to say in all honesty. Although there were never any harsh words exchanged, the retainer always felt he was being avoided by the pair. Still, he couldn't help but test him just to make sure. "How did you know I was here?"

"Cindy," The gunner said sheepishly. "Gladio and I drove back to Hammerhead and heard you had come here with the old man. I uh… just wanted to make sure you were alright so we just decided to make the extra pit stop instead of waiting for you back home. No telling when more daemons would keep bothering the locals."

"I see." Ignis replied. It did line up, so… this was Prompto after all. "I've heard there has been an increase but… never knew the full extent of the problem."

"It's not good." The gunner admitted. "A lot more cases of starscourge have been happening and the daemons are getting a bit more aggressive. Part of the reason it took so long to come back." And had he not insisted, he was sure that Gladio would have been gone for even longer. "But… never mind that. Where have you been? Not like you to be covered in dirt like that. Kinda look like you were mining."

"That's exactly what I was doing actually."

"Really?" Prompto genuinely seemed surprised. "Didn't… seem like your line of work."

"It was for Talcott… he's trying to help out the cause. I merely offered my services."

"Oh! No foolin'?" There was a name that he hadn't heard in a while. "Man, who would have thought he'd still be around here. Small world huh? Looks like you've been doing a bit more for yourself. Cindy still goes on how she misses your cooking, you know."

"You can always try wooing her with your own skills."

The gunner gave a nervous laugh. "Oh come on! I can watch you make the same thing twenty times and still screw it up. I'll just get compared to you, she'll never let me live it down."

Well… guess he was still pursuing the lady if he wasn't trying to scare her off. The retainer gave an exasperated sigh. "You really should stop comparing yourself to Gladio or myself. You aren't our shadow."

"I know." How could he not feel that way though? Gladio and Ignis were royal retainers after all. "Just… waiting for the right opportunity!" Which… he never saw or ever looked for, but that was beside the point. She was his _Goddess_ after all and he just wished to play his cards right. "Anyway, Gladio was speaking to some of the Kingsglaive here. There certainly are a lot of them out here than the last time I remember. I actually saw a caravan coming into the city on our way in. I think they just got back from a beast raid."

A raid? "I didn't realize a cell of monsters appeared." But then again… Ignis hadn't been able to catch up with the local gossip since he had been incapacitated.

"Not surprising," Prompto replied. "Daemons have been becoming unpredictable from what I've seen. Hunters have been keeping up with them though, guessing that the Kingsglaive decided not to let it become too big of a problem before it spread down here."

But Prompto was wrong in one regard. On the surface the Kingsglaive might have been doing the work for the good of the people, but Ardyn's presence poisoned their message, twisted their ideals, warped their perception. Until the man was snuffed out, Ignis could never see them in the same light. "Might we wait for Gladio then? I'd like to catch up with you both."

"Ah sure thing, we got a lot of stories to tell you. I'm starving though, so mind joining me at the bar?"

"Of course." In truth, Ignis didn't want to lose track of the gunner. Right now, he and Gladio were his only friends he could count on.

* * *

Boredom was the only thing that came to mind even as Ardyn feigned sleep on the way back to Galdin Quay. The monster raid had been interesting. Between watching the newer recruits piss their pants at the sight of seeing their first daemon or the toughest men screaming in terror, it was like watching a cartoon for three year olds. Had circumstances warranted it, he would have personally sent Ifrit to put these clowns out of their misery. However, in the name of "comradery" he had to play along.

It was more irritating not being able to consume the daemons that had fallen, rather than actually killing them for Ardyn. But there were too many witnesses and trying to siphon their bodies would only lead to a bunch of questions. In defense of the Kingsglaive, they did do their jobs well. The growing horde had been extinguished within days and the Lucians celebrated with pats on the backs and promises of a booze run.

None of this was of interest to Ardyn. Going back to Galdin Quay had been gladly welcomed, but for completely different reasons. By now he had come to the conclusion Ignis wasn't going to rat him out. The question that he kept thinking about was why the man hesitated? Was his fear in destroying Noctis that powerful? It was such a ludicrous assumption when he had known the retainer to be more reasonable. As the caravan finally pulled in on the Kingsglaive outpost, he made a beeline for the hotel.

He wasn't sure what to expect as he entered the lobby about to wind the corner and stalk towards the room he knew his prey was in. Instead, as he was about the round the corner he heard Ignis's familiar laugh. _Curious…_ he walked in the direction that he heard it and it led him to the open bar.

"I'm telling you, I didn't get the smell of that Marboro off my clothes for a week straight! Gladio ended up pushing me in the river. Wounded me right here," And the gunner pointed to his chest for dramatic effect.

"Maybe that will teach you to look before you leap." Ignis mused.

A grin tickled the edges of Ardyn's lips when he realized who the retainer was talking to. So… his friends had come here? An interesting turn of events and one that even the Usurper couldn't pass up. Without even hesitating, he proceeded forward to the pair purposely making his way near Ignis's side. " _Hello Mr. Scientia_." Ardyn greeted, putting on his most gracious smile. " _It is good to see you again_."

That familiar voice gave Ignis pause. He stopped talking, hell he had stopped breathing as the familiar tone of Emus came over his shoulder. The sheer audacity of Ardyn to see him here and now. Why now? No, it had to be deliberate. He had been quiet for the past few days. He had let his guard down and the chancellor had pounced on him. He was waiting to see what would happen, how he would respond with Prompto near him. Hesitating he opted for the safest option that came to mind. Play along with the bastard. "And... you as well."

"Hm, friend of yours Iggy?"

" _Emus Calculi, at your service_." He did a salute to Prompto as he said it which only resulted in the gunner giving a nervous laugh.

"Oh, no need to give me the special treatment." Crownsguard or not, Prompto still had felt out of place amongst the "elite". Some houses were royally bound to the King like Ignis and Gladio, but he was still just a pleb. "Anyway, you can call me Prompto. Nice to meet you Emus."

" _Likewise_." He replied.

"Did you just come in with that caravan?" The gunner inquired. "Must have been a hell of a raid."

" _Yes, but we quickly took care of the matter. It was rather liberating to be able to get out of town for a few days_. _I had forgotten how different the inner region is from the beach._ "

"I can understand that."

It was this situation that Ignis wasn't sure how to prepare as he listened to Prompto and Ardyn exchange pleasantries. Ardyn was the last person on Eos that he wanted to see, much less in the vicinity of Prompto or Gladio again. He needed to get them out of here. "Prompto, might we see if Gladio is back yet?"

"Hm, well he is taking a while. He normally isn't the chatterbox either, must have a lot to talk about with the commander."

Ardyn said nothing watching the exchange. The high commander of the outpost had been with him and likely getting debriefed on what had been happening at Galdin Quay since he had been away. In other words… the person Galdio was looking for just arrived. It was doubtful that the two men had been speaking in depth.

From the intercom that Ardyn wore a small broadcast rolled over the speaker.

_Attention all units, a horde of daemons have been spotted closing in on the outskirts of the coast. Requesting all available personnel in the area for support_

Ardyn narrowed his eyes at the alert. Strange considering that they had just come from there.

Prompto frowned listening to it. "Do you guys think that you will have enough support?"

Ardyn could only shrug. " _I'm not sure… some of us were injured in the beast raid but I'm not sure how many are available_." But even after he said that, the shriek of one of the monsters was heard as it flew over the hotel.

"Shit…" The gunner thought. "Maybe I should help out then."

Ignis felt himself grow pale at the thought. "Let them handle it Prompto... please."

Inwardly Ardyn was smiling as Ignis realized what was happening. " _I will escort Mr. Scientia somewhere safe_."

Prompto did think of Ignis's words. Lord knew he had done more than his fair share of fighting recently but even so… there were people that did need to be protected. Iggy included. It helped that at least someone was willing to look after the retainer when he did leave. He stood up nodding to Emus. "Can you please do that for me Emus? I would be grateful."

" _It would be my pleasure_."

Ignis was inwardly cursing. It was one of the worst case scenarios that he could have never dreamt of. "Prompto wait!" Now the first signs of fear started to claw at him. The excuse was justified, the threat real enough but Prompto just didn't understand what leaving him with Ardyn would do to him. But he hadn't told him yet because he wanted to meet with Gladio too, to try to think of a plan to figure out how to _deal_ with the monster.

"Iggy… I'll be right back. I promise. Come back here when it's safe."

Ignis felt absolutely ill. It was a rejection… the gunner had just arrived and already he couldn't have a solace of being comforted by someone that he knew and trusted. As the footsteps got fainter, his hands balled into fists. He was about to take off after Prompto, when he felt a hand grab his wrist and pulled him back.

" _You heard your friend."_ And as amusing as that exchange was, it was sucide to let Ignis out of Ardyn's sight now. " _It's time I took you somewhere safe. Try not to make a scene_ … _sir._ "

There was dread that wormed its way into Ignis's core as he was dragged away from the general public. He could hear the panicked footsteps of people running both over and into each other as they sought to barricade themselves indoors. In the distance, the sound of sirens were going off - a sign that the daemons were indeed close proximity to the main city. And then gunfire crackled into the night followed by the shouts of the Hunters and the Kingsglaives. He tried jerking his hand free from Ardyn's grip but he felt the monster only tighten it using strength that didn't belong to any human to drag him along. "Let go. "

"Afraid not." He countered turning to an abandoned makeshift shack. The small building wreaked of decomposed fish entrails and sea water. It was a butcher shop close to the beach to process the catch of the day. Although the space was nothing that a daemon wouldn't be able to come through, unlike the humans, the daemons did not scare Ardyn." _Well that was certainly a treat_." He mused. " _It seems your friends have come to check on you. How wonderful to see them again_."

Ignis wasn't amused though, and knowing they were likely somewhere alone he jerked his wrist away from the Usurper's grasp. To his surprise, the grip was loose enough for him to wriggle free and he took a step back.

" _Hmm_... _You are upset_." The chancellor commented not at all bothered by the gesture.

He was, but the blame couldn't solely be put on Ardyn. Prompto had left him with the monster, completely ignoring his pleas. He wanted so badly to tell the blond that Ardyn was right here, that Ardyn was causing him pain but hearing far off screams in the distance the chancellor was but a distant threat. "You did that on purpose."

" _And what did I do exactly?"_

"The daemons." The timing surely was no coincidence by the time he appeared. "You brought them here."

" _Ah… you think that was me? Certainly sounds like something I would do_." He shrugged, leaning against the frame of the door. " _However in this case, I had nothing to do with that Verstael clone disappearing. Daemons are mindless, you should know that better than I._ "

"His name is Prompto." The retainer countered. Ignis wasn't sure if he could believe the chancellor or not. Ultimately he supposed it didn't matter, the end result would have been the same.

" _So touchy towards someone that just abandoned you to the wolf. He is nothing to me, as are the others. But_ _you_ _on the other hand have much to answer for_." It was the reason that he decided to come to track the man down after giving Ignis ample time to act. " _You didn't tell him about me… much in the same way you've not reported anything to the Kingsglaive. A curious turn of events._ "

The thing was, he had been thinking hard about it. Just about everyone on Eos did know of Ardyn's reputation, but knowing who he was, and attempting to contain him were two different things entirely. "And you haven't harmed Noct… "

So he was betting on everything for Ardyn to keep Noctis alive. " _Interesting. So you are fully prepared and trust me to keep my word_?"

"Don't give yourself so much credit. I'm merely playing your game." It was becoming obvious that Noctis was still alive because Ardyn was allowing it and for no other reason. If that was the case, there was no point in beating on the hornets nest until he was fully prepared to deal with them. There were too many factors that Ignis couldn't leave to chance and so much that he didn't know or understand. "You've never flat out broke a promise even from the first time we had encountered you."

For that, Ardyn narrowed his eyes. " _I see_." As much as he wanted to deny Ignis's observation he supposed his own personal beliefs prevented him from going back on his word. " _You certainly play your cards down to the wire_." He mused. " _Though I can see through you_." Ignis might not have been the strongest physically, but his intellect was one that rivaled his own. " _You are still thinking of a way to kill me. Even now you are weighing your options_."

Ignis didn't try to shy away from the accusation. He did want to end him for everything that had happened. "You make it seem like you are surprised."

" _A little, I suppose_." Ardyn didn't understand it, it was a sucide mission that had no chance of success. Surely Ignis had come to that realization by now. " _Committing yourself to being the sacrificial lamb will get you nothing but heartache in the short life you have left. But if you really believe that it will help your cause, far be it from me to prevent your attempts of grander_." He warped closer to the retainer carefully watching Ignis's expression. " _However, I cannot help but be amused by how selfish you are_."

"I'm _not_ selfish."

" _Trying to shoulder the problems that you can't control to yourself is indeed selfish. Although I'm certain you'll try to frame it as "selfless" in your distorted ideals_." Now that Ardyn thought about it, he supposed that was the new mantra of the Kingsglaive. " _It reminds me of your late King Regis doing his oh so hardest to protect his precious son. We see how well that worked out for him_."

"He protected Noctis, you have no idea what he did for the sake of his son."

" _I assume protecting his bloodline as all great imperial houses strive to do. The amusing thing is, there_ _will_ _be an ending regardless of his intervention. He had to have been made aware of it the moment Noctis was born_. _He knew what the Crystal had decreed and let his son continue to live out a normal life and you were a part of giving that brat his fantasy world_." The prophecy had been quite clear, Bahamut had never shied away from moving the pieces regardless of whatever happened to the mortals it affected. " _Oddly enough, it seems that you have landed in the same web because of your desire to protect that whelp. Do you not feel troubled by that_?"

"I will do whatever I need to protect him."

" _So I've heard you say time and time again_." Ardyn countered. " _And I guess you have. So I will call you no hypocrite_." No matter how much he tried to understand the reasoning behind it, Ignis's behavior seemed to be overkill for the sake of one person. He had seen it time and time again with the Kingsglaives, and even at Nilheim as the empire was insatiable for their thirst for domination of Eos. For humanity's fragile lifespan they had, all bet their lives for someone else's ideals. " _But I suppose that means you are alright with letting us continue our sordid affair at your expense. I never took you for a masochist so this should prove to be intriguing_."

" _My_ expense?" The retainer said incredulously. "You are blackmailing me."

" _And you are allowing it to continue._ " Ardyn shot back clearly not bothered by his method to control Ignis' actions. " _But don't worry… I won't hold the other aspects of your life hostage. Feel free to continue as you have been with no repercussions aimed at you_."

Ignis was shocked at that admission. He wouldn't bother anyone else? Why was the demon being so reasonable though? "And Gladio? Prompto?"

" _You've already given your life to your King so he remains as he always has_." Ardyn stated as a matter-of-fact. " _Your life is weighted for only one and I will give you no more quarter since you have offered me nothing in return. That is of course… if you plan to make another bargain with me_."

Another one? Just what else could Ardyn take from him that he wasn't already? Unconsciously though, he knew that to give the man anything else would be something he'd regret further. "I refuse."

" _I thought as much. After all, there is little else you can hope to appease me with_." There was the thought of him renouncing his ties to Insomnia and Noctis specifically, but he doubted that such an action would be made to betray that man he had become attached to. The right situation hadn't presented itself... not yet anyway. " _Those two certainly could provide their own amusements. However, if you are willing to continue to be the focal point of my affection, I can spare your friends my unneeded attention… assuming that they stay out of my way_."

So that was it… if he said anything, Ardyn would be apt to kill them both. Not only that, but anyone else. It was the same scenario that he had thought of on the boat ride back. Precognition had nothing to do with his choice of actions, but he knew Ardyn's depravity all too well. Why he hadn't burned the world yet he was sure just to see the denizens suffer.

" _Well, now that we know where we stand with each other_." A hand went out grabbing Ignis by his chin. " _I believe it's time you fulfill your part of our agreement_." And before Ignis could say anything, he used his own body weight to force Ignis backwards until he pinned the retainer against the wall. " _Ahh… here you are yet again. Trapped and oh so_ _alone_ _with me_."

It took everything that Ignis had to not cry out as he was pushed into the wall. Unconsciously his hand was already wrapping around the hilt of his dagger as Ardyn mocked him. The last night spent with the monster flashed in the back of his mind. He might have been willing to play along with the demon's games, but Ignis hardly liked it or how this scene was playing out. "You really can't control your disgusting lusts."

" _Hurtful words from the man that made himself a whore for his King._ " Ardyn saw the flash of movement from Ignis's hands and already knew what the man was planning. " _There is no need for violence my pet. I've already proven you are playing with a losing hand if you try_. _How I'd hate to injure you again, your skin looks remarkably vile when it is covered in bruises._ " With the close proximity it would have been easy to counter anything that was thrown at him. The demon ignored the idea of defending using his hand insead to trace along the hem of Ignis's pants as a distraction. " _Let me enjoy you and I'll release you to get better acquainted with your long lost friends_."

Ignis felt sick as he listened to the man's words. While it sounded like a request, when the demon had said it, it was a veiled threat. Reluctantly he relaxed his grip on the dagger having a feeling of deja vu all over again.

Ardyn shook his head seeing the fight abruptly leaving Ignis. If only the retainer would have worried about himself for a change. These types of situations wouldn't be so easy to manipulate him. The chancellor placed a kiss on Ignis's cheek reinforcing another disparaging element to his defeat. " _Do you want me to pity you_?"

The question was so insane, Ignis thought he hadn't heard it right. He could feel Ardyn fumbling with the buttons trying to strip him of not only his clothing but what remaining dignity he had left. "No."

" _I didn't think so. I assume you get enough of that from the people you hold so dear_."

"Yet you make me your unwilling consort."

That amused Ardyn. " _Who is exactly unwilling? I told you you could ask me to stop at any time_." And again he was met with that silence that only proved his point. " _We all have to deal with the choices that we make in life… you are no different. If you want to protect Noctis so badly_ -" Ardyn's hand released the button's on Ignis's pants and dove to grab his member. He heard the man inhale sharply from the intrusion which only resulted in the chancellor giving his sensitive area a light squeeze. "- _At least stop trying to make yourself out like the victim_."

It was the way the chancellor had framed his words that made Ignis realize how depraved Ardyn truly was. Maybe it was because he had no humanity left in him to realize the flawed logic or he thought that he could gaslight Ignis. He wasn't followed by the hollowed words though, Ardyn had been preying on him from the very beginning. Gasping he turned his head to the side trying to shy away from the demon.

" _Do you really find this so repulsive_?" Ardyn asked him, leaning down to his ear. " _Your body responds to me in earnest, just like it did before._ " He felt the retainer stiffen under him and couldn't help but chuckle. " _You thought I didn't notice? Maybe you really should have fucked your King when you had the chance, or at least one of your friends. I imagine never being touched has left you hypersensitive_." And the loss of his sight hadn't helped matters either.

It _was_ repulsive… Somehow Ardyn was learning how his body had worked, how responsive it was. The pent up feelings he had repressed now worked as a double edged sword against him. He had never sought out intimacy in the past, yet Ardyn had put him in a position where he was supposed to accept it. The retainer's back arched against the wall as Ardyn started to stroke him. He understood how to cope with pain but unwanted pleasure? God help the small noises that were bubbling in the back of his throat.

" _Ahh, there it is… the true you is starting to emerge_. _You've always had such a beautiful voice._ " The monster cooed. " _Picturing your beloved King doing this to you? Do you think he likes to be topped or take it as a bottom? I couldn't really tell myself after watching his misadventures with you all_."

He was hot… Ignis's hands planted in the bunched up fabric of the man's uniform. He desperately wanted to get the man away from him. He wasn't supposed to be feeling anything… not with someone like the Usurper. When he opened his mouth to protest, he cried out instead.

The grin that Ardyn initially had melted away watching the emotions plaguing Ignis as his hand methodically went to work driving the man to the edge of oblivion. So… this is what Ignis looked like when he was in bliss. It was a completely different look for a man that had presented himself as straight-laced and proper. A fascinating side that even Ardyn couldn't have pictured. Whether the retainer realized what he was doing, his hips were already trying to desperately grind against his waiting hand. Ardyn felt the first spurts of the man's come coating the tips of his hands. It only enabled the rhythm that the chancellor had worked up to increase in speed. He leaned in closer to Ignis refusing to let his prey go. " _Surrender_."

There that phrase was again. He knew Ardyn would have been delighted to hear him submit to his will but… he would not degrade himself further. Gritting his teeth he whimpered back. "N-No."

" _Humph, still stubborn as ever. No matter...I have more than enough time to wait for the response I desire_."

Ignis' face was burning the more vocal he was becoming in the presence of the monster before him. Sex was supposed to be shared with someone dear or at least shared some type of bond. Ardyn didn't fit the bill, yet his body melted under the demon's touch. The retainer's body started to convulse much like what had happened when he was pleasuring himself. The only difference from before was that he had Ardyn watching him and participating in his sexual deviancy. He couldn't hold it back as he let out a strangled cry from his orgasm.

 _My, my_ …Ardyn was at a loss staring at the retainer's face as his hand was splattered in semen. His hand rolled over the tip of the man's cock until he felt nothing more ejecting itself from the sensitive area. His soiled hand patted against Ignis's pubic hairs to remove the residue before straightening himself up. Somehow Ignis managed to keep himself from sliding on the ground, though his knees did buckle slightly using his lower body to anchor his weight against the wall trying to regain his composure.

" _That wasn't so bad, now was it_?" Ardyn mused, before giving the man his space. Coming here was just what he needed after having to deal with the Kingsglaives for the past few days. He was fed by daemons for power, but Ignis was giving him entertainment that he thought was beneath him. To be able to share the pleasures of the flesh with someone was never something he thought he would be privy to enjoying. Tempting as it was to linger here, he had no idea when Prompto would return and decided on discretion. At least for the time being… he'd give Ignis the illusion that he still had some "choices" when it came to dealing with him. The truth was he might as well have shoved Ignis in a cage or put a leash on him. The effect was the same. This man was practically bound to him with how he desired to protect those he loved. " _You are fortunate that I cannot stay to hear more delicious sounds from you. Alas, there is always next time_."

Ignis didn't move, listening to Ardyn's footsteps and could tell he was headed towards the door. "Wait."

Pausing, the Usurper glanced over his shoulder. " _What is it now_?"

"What are you planning within the Kingsglaive under that ruse?"

" _I plan nothing."_ The chancellor countered back. " _Merely observing how you humans go about your daily life during the end of days. Nilfhiem has nothing worth my amusements since all the important players are gone_." Admittedly their deaths were mostly his doing but that was a small detail. " _You Lucians stayed trapped behind the wall for two milenia never knowing what it is like to fear the dark. I wish to see what you do now that you have no cage to hide behind_."

That was true… Ignis couldn't deny that the Niflheim empire had lost far too much that they had gained throughout the entire affair. Ardyn wasn't so single minded to simply desire to overthrow the empire. He could have easily placed himself as the head of Niflheim but he hadn't bothered. Even when Insomnia was concerned, it was far more personal than just to kill the reigning monarch. All of the great imperial houses of Eos had crumbled at Ardyn's direction and only Lucis Caelum was left, only Noctis remained as the sole survivor. If he died the world would be in a position where only the people remained, a world without a King or crystal to govern the masses.

" _Know this._ _If I wanted to crush your fellow Kingsglaives, I would have by now boy. Many of them are far too fragile and don't like to take a life, daemon or otherwise_." That had become too apparent on his latest adventures with them. No one had died, but they were still children that had seen no combat and only had naive ideals that drove them forward with action. " _But as I have told you, I leave their lives in your hands. You should be honored, you get to see what it's like to play the King on a small scale now. In the meantime, I have other pursuits outside of listening to you moan out for me_."

"And what are they exactly?"

" _Never you mind that._ " He doubted that Ignis would believe if he told him anyway. " _I suggest you tidy up soon before your dear friend sees you. Wouldn't want him to start asking the wrong questions now do we? Stay here until the sirens go off… I doubt the daemons will bother you in here if you remain quiet._ "

Ignis heard the click of the door as the chancellor left leaving him to ponder the other man's words. Trust Ardyn or trust everyone else…. The choice should have been obvious but Ignis knew that there was no point of return once he decided. He hadn't thought to pray to the Astral's before now, but as he weighed his options he knew he'd have to pray for forgiveness to someone… anyone.

* * *

"Fine time for me to leave my rifle in the damn car." Prompto muttered. He had been weighing on bringing it with him, but with the amount of Kingsglaive, the gunner didn't want to be bombarded with questions. He wasn't wearing his own uniform and speaking to them by himself had always been intimidating. "Me and my damn fears…" He wanted to kick himself for hesitating so much. But at least it had worked out and he made sure Ignis was taken somewhere safe.

His trusty pair of Quicksilvers were unholstered as he listened carefully for the sounds of the daemons. Identifying what type they were would be critical since he didn't have all his ammo on him. Each bullet needed to be rationed carefully. The shriek had Prompto looking overhead to see a flock of Daggerquill's overhead. "Perfect, just my specialty." The chest or a headshot would take them out but… there were dozens of them. One of them dive bombed at Prompto before he fired off a round into the creature. The sound sent the others into a frenzy. "Well... shit."

He sent a few more rounds before retreating. One one hand, he had drawn the daemons away, but on the other, they were after him now. Following the sounds of gunfire in the distance, Prompto led the horde to the other hunters. Without even missing a beat the men quickly reacted cutting them down with a hailfire of firepower. Like any other campaigns the gunner stayed and covered the other men until the daemons in the area were dispatched.

By the time it was over, Prompto was exhausted. "What a world we live in."

"And you made it safer." Gladio chimed in gripping his great sword in hand. "Guess the daemons got your attention too."

"Yeah… but all good now. Find the man you were looking for?"

"Briefly." The Shield mentioned. "This situation cut our conversation short, but I got enough information I needed. You find Specs?"

"Yeah, asked a Kingsglaive to take him somewhere safe. He'll be at the main hotel bar."

"Good deal, let's finish up here and go fetch him."

* * *

The wail of the sirens eventually ceased. Although the immediate danger was over, it was difficult for Ignis to leave the butcher shop. He still hadn't decided what to do about the circumstances and he thought carefully of what Ardyn was proposing. There was no "good" answer, only just what he would be forced to endure. Still unable to make up his mind, he decided to at least stop hiding from his friends. Making his way to the entrance, he let himself hesitantly walking towards the hotel again. He had left his cane in the ensuing chaos that followed, but there were enough people around that he could work out where the voices were coming from and followed. A plus being around the main hub of the normally desolate area of Galdin Quay.

By the time he made his way back in the main bar of the hotel, he could already hear the relief of some of the residents as they returned to their rooms and went about their lives. No one had the energy to constantly worry over an ongoing crisis. It was a strange trend Ignis had noticed since daemons were becoming a persistent issue with humanity.

Eventually Prompto did come back as he said he would. "Iggy, there you are. Where is Emus?"

Of course he would ask about that bastard. Still, Ignis parsed the truth for the time being. "Pursuing other tasks. He left me when the daemons were gone."

"That sucks, you'll have to thank him for me when you see him again." He took Ignis's hand guiding him. "Come on, Gladio is in the lounge waiting for us."

"I shall." Ignis should have been relieved when he heard that Gladio had been found but there was apprehension now that he had the two men there. The lounge had been emptied out minus the die-head bartender that was likely more interested in finishing his cigarette rather than the daemons that had appeared just hours before.

In the corner, Gladio had claimed a booth as his own, already ordering beers for all of them. "'Bout time you two got here. Was worried I was going to have to start drinking without you." When he saw Ignis he regarded the man for a moment as he sat down. The retainer didn't appear any worse for wear and it put the unfounded paranoia that Prompto had to rest. "How you been Specs?"

Hearing his nickname actually made Ignis smile. "I've seen better days… what about yourself"

"Keeping up the ol' fight as usual."

"So I've heard."

Prompto picked up his beer bottle. "Back together again at last! It's a good feeling." And a relief. Times like these where they could all just relax were so rare with the state that Eos was in.

"Indeed." Ignis agreed downing his own drink, though with far less enthusiasm. "Were the daemons that attacked powerful ones?"

"No, merely just a large swarm of them that gathered. Think the caravan coming back attracted their attention, but it's hard to say."

"Hey, we nabbed them good so all's well that ends well." Prompto chimed in relieved that no one got hurt.

"Eventually I would hope to join you on one of your misadventures." Ignis mused. "Prompto has told me a lot about some of what you have been doing."

That statement already made Gladio frown. "I thought you were content with what you were doing here?"

The statement surprised Ignis. "And what am I supposed to be "content" with exactly?"

"Helping out Cid."

"...Yes I do on occasion but… the automobile is not nor will it ever be my specialty." He had learned a bit from the old man regarding cars in passing but it was just information that was useful to know. Not something that he'd ever see himself doing long term.

"So… you are trying to regain your senses to fight I take it?"

Prompto already didn't like where the conversation was going and glanced at Ignis.

"Of course." Ignis replied. "Why would I not keep pursuing my goal?"

For a while Gladio had said nothing. Truthfully, he knew that Ignis wasn't going to give up even though he should have… even if he wished the retainer would. "Iggy… you should stop trying."

"...What?" It was a bit surprising to hear that statement and Ignis was taken aback. .

The Shield sighed softly. "I don't have time to sugarcoat things for you. We have a duty to fulfill to the people here. Not even talking about just Lucians, it's an everyone game." Despite how he felt about the Niflheim empire, even he couldn't condemn the people to the daemons. "I can't stay idle waiting for you to regain your senses."

Prompto frowned. "Gladio…"

But still Gladio pushed forward, ignoring the gunner's protest. "You've always been the more intellectually sound of all of us, so I need you to hear it. Daemons are getting problematic… and I-"

"-And you can't depend on me to look after myself? Is that it?" Ignis didn't even try to hide the beginnings of his anger. This argument hadn't been the first time Gladio criticized him, but given the situation he wished that he'd stop doing that.

"... That's right."

Prompto gave Gladio an incredulous stare. Considering the way that things had been going so far, he was horrified that Gladio had been so… _open_ about how he felt about Ignis's choices. It wasn't the reunion he had been hoping for between the trio.

"I see…" Ignis finally uttered, his voice already sounding like he had been punched in the gut. It hurt to hear the same words spoken by Ardyn yet again. Had he known the Usurper had his own motives, Ignis could have sworn that Gladio had read from a prewritten script from the demon. But… this was the reality that he faced time and time again. A frustrating truth that he'd just be known for going blind. He'd just be another casualty in the Crownsguard that would be written off. That was never what he wanted. "I will do everything I can to protect Noct. That has always been my desire."

"You still plan to fight?"

"...Yes." He doubted he could stop if he wanted. He was trained to fight and protect, how could Gladio think he'd wish to just throw it all away? It was insulting.

The Shield sighed. "I should have known that would be your answer." He murmured.

"I'm not as useless as you believe."

"I never said you were."

"You've implied it since I've sat down." Ignis bit back. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation again. Noctis really had been the one keeping the three together but now that he was gone, now each of them were motivated by their own desires. It had been subtle at first, but now Ignis recognized the sudden wasn't just the world that had shattered, he was sure of it.

"Iggy… I'm sorry." Gladio didn't even know what aspect he was apologizing for but he knew he'd have to say it regardless.

 _Me too_. Ignis thought. Had there been any more reservation as to whether he should get the two involved in the situation with Ardyn, it had been confirmed in that short exchange. Daemons must have been getting a lot worse than he had thought and so he'd not distract either man from diverting their efforts there. So he made up his mind, Ardyn he'd have to deal with on his own. As much as Ignis wanted to pay attention, it was hard to with the Usurper weighing on his mind. Eventually the booze was becoming more than he could handle and he put the latest bottle down. This wasn't how he expected their reunion to go, but it couldn't be helped. "I should… get some sleep. It's been a long day." He finally murmured.

"We'll go with you." Prompto added.

"You don't have to. I can find it from here." He stood up abruptly making his way to the hallway entrance. "Goodnight."

Neither Prompto or Gladio could say much watching Ignis disappear. When the door shut behind them, Prompto turned back to Gladio. "Did you really have to be that cruel to him?"

"I did." The Shield murmured. "Stop giving him false hope. It will do no one any good."

"You know he _is_ trying."

"Which is why it had to be said."

The gunner gave an exasperated sigh. "So you _did_ do that on purpose."

Gladio didn't try to deny that accusation. "I really didn't want to spend that much time here and I knew that conversation was coming." He might as well have spoken his piece to Ignis to not give the man any crazy ideas. "Speaking to the commander here, things are getting bad in other places. Cor was requesting back up at the Lestallum border."

So just like that, back to gunning down the monsters. "I… I can't go with you Gladio." Prompto finally said.

"I figured you'd say that." Maybe he had deserved it with how everything transpired tonight. "I didn't mean to put you in a position like this. For that I owe you more than an apology."

Prompto took another sip of his drink as he thought about it. "You both just want what is best for each other. There is no need to apologize for that." Though he didn't know what he was going to do. Ignis didn't deserve to be left alone as he was, but the gunner knew he was probably more useful with joining the Hunters. He knew though, joining Gladio would have probably had him gone much longer than he wanted, more than what he'd be comfortable with.

"I don't know what you intend to do but… look after him for me."

"Check on him yourself." Prompto said curtly.

He could hear the contempt in the gunner's voice and sighed. "Are you trying to punish me now?"

"Of course not. Like I could do that to you anyway." Prompto mused, glancing at the hallway door. "But I mean it Gladio. Even if you want Ignis to hate you for trying to protect him... you should at least visit. Stop hiding from him using the Hunters as an excuse."

The Shield's eyes widened slightly as he regarded what Prompto was saying. Was his actions that easy to see through? "A fair point." He reached for Ignis's abandoned beer. There was still some left and he'd dare not waste it. "I wasn't aware you noticed." He countered lifting the bottle to his lips before downing it.

"It didn't hit me until recently. I kept wondering why you kept volunteering for bigger monster hunting campaigns further away from Hammerhead. You arguing with Iggy just made me realize what you were doing."

"If you were in the same boat as he is, I would have done the same thing." Gladio admitted. "He almost died… when it should have been me there protecting Noct."

"You may be called the Shield of the King, but we all are bound to protect him. It's what we signed up for. Same as any other Crownsguard, Kingsglaive or Hunter. We put our life before King Regis and Noct."

"You're right… but that's why I want to keep the casualties as low as possible. I just… can't bear the thought of seeing Iggy take another bullet like he did before."

Prompto glanced back at him. "What you just said right now… make sure you tell Iggy that before you leave."

"Guess that isn't a request coming from you." For once Gladio couldn't help but relent.. "Humph, swear Cindy has made you a bit more pushy lately."

"Well, the lady gets what she desires." He laughed softly, though he couldn't help but blush. "All joking aside though, I want all of us to keep going forward. It'll be nice to catch up with Noct and tell him all of our silly stories you know? One day we'll look back on all this… and just pass it off as a bad dream."

"Hopefully," Gladio commented. "That's why we can't let the world fall to complete ruin. It's not just Noct's future I'm worried about anymore." What was the point of saving Noct if there were no subjects to govern? "I'm tired though Prompto… gonna turn in early. Maybe you ought to give your girl a ring to tell her we got here okay she seemed to be expecting a call from you.."

"Done and done."

Gladio arched a brow. A part of him wanted to ask when he had, but that was treading on dangerous territory where the bro code was concerned. "You really are growing up."

Prompto gave him a playful punch in his shoulder. "I tried to tell you... she's quite the woman."

* * *

Ignis's hand rested on the other side of the door as he listened to the pair. Maybe it had been curiosity that kept him from moving but as he listened, he realized that his first assumptions had been misguided at best. So… that is how they felt. It was hard staying mad at them knowing that… even though they did frustrate him, clearly they cared. But perhaps it was caring too much.

The scent of sandalwood and aftershave hit the retainer and he didn't need to look behind him to know who was there. Maybe he should have picked up on it earlier, but he should have known better. Of course the demon wouldn't have just left the vicinity. He was waiting and watching to see what Ignis was going to do… or rather what he could _not_ do. "Are you going to follow me now?"

The chancellor's body leaned back against the wall watching Ignis out of the corner of his eye. His appearance had changed to a hotel staff member. It was all done to blend in while he listened to the trio, but it seemed he was found out yet again. "Well, that had been my intention... but I changed my mind," Ardyn admitted speaking in his normal voice through the avatar. The body and voice clearly did not belong together but Ignis couldn't be aware of this knowledge. The chancellor still wasn't quite sure what was giving him away. But Ignis had been able to tell he was around without him saying a word or uttering a sound. A curious phenomenon indeed. "The deepest wounds you suffer didn't come from my hand this night. I'm content with letting you know this truth and fester in it."

Ignis wished he could have said he was wrong, but when he considered how Ardyn had framed it... The chancellor was far from inaccurate. 


	5. Checkmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Deny it all you wish. But even you should know that there is some truth in my words. Your love was unconditional but you paid a price… and the weight of it will be bare on your shoulders for the rest of your life. You may not regret it, but you will suffer all the same."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note:  
> Before you panic, I have to end this story not because I don’t like where this is going, but I will need to change the format and style of writing to cater for events that will occur later. To make it less confusing, Heart of the King will be a stand alone prequel just to make the transition smoother into Body and Soul which is the next story this series will take place in. The ending for this story has never been the problem, but how to get there has proved a lot more challenging since I didn’t mean for this story to manifest the way it did much less predict I’d be writing over 30k words for it. It is also not helping that both Ardyn and Ignis are dragging me in different directions and I’m honestly torn right now. There is going to be a hiatus between posting the next series since I’m reading FFXV: The Dawn of the Future novella and likely will add some elements from that into the story. 
> 
> As always, I do thank my readers for any feedback or kudos that you’ve given me. Be it good or bad, it does help me grow as a writer. Also, feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as you can.  
> ~shadowlink06

* * *

Ardyn was amused by how long the silence between Ignis and himself persisted. It appeared that his dear pet had no witty comeback for what had just transpired. "And thus the dreams of a naive boy were cruelly trampled on by the weight of reality." He wasn't sure what was bound to happen between the trio after their small meeting, but the end result could have been salvageable. As long as Ardyn had a head start, he could disappear as needed and create a new persona in minutes. He had done it before and no human was capable of stopping him. "You really thought you would be seen in any other light but a babe that needs to be protected? Pitiful man, your usefulness was snuffed out the moment you saved Noctis." He pointed out. "That is your punishment for wishing for power that you should never have held."

Ignis's fingers balled into fists as he listened to Ardyn. He knew it was dangerous to ask for the aid of the supernatural, but he had no choice. What was his life if it meant knowing that he had a small chance to spare Ardyn from ending Noctis at the altar that day? His desperation, the urgency that he felt being held down as he saw the demon wield the knife about slice Noctis… he'd never regret it. "You're wrong… I don't want to be protected. I just want… to be seen as I have always been."

"I _see_ you all too well."

The unintended pun hadn't escaped the retainer, but something had bothered him about Ardyn's phrasing. "Is that the reason you continue to torture me?"

It was Ardyn's turn to remain quiet as he thought about that question. "Even those that lose everything deserve to not be completely discarded." Ardyn wanted to say more, but found himself stopping as he heard Prompto and Gladio speaking to the bartender likely paying their bill. They'd leave the room soon and he didn't desire to be around when the emerged. It was unlikely Ignis would expose him and now he had to plan to ensure it stayed that way. "You should get some rest my pet… you don't look well." On that note, he walked in the opposite direction of the rooms indeed keeping his word about leaving Ignis to his own devices. As Ardyn left the hotel, his own predatory eyes were focused on more pressing matters. It had been days since he had devoured daemons and he was ravenous, eager to dine on new lives for his own pleasure.

Ignis scowled hearing the retreating footsteps. So… Ardyn really was going to just leave him be. He had little doubt that the Usurper would be back, but he'd take any reprieve he could. Rather hastily, he moved back to his room before Gladio and Prompto realized he was eavesdropping on them. When his door was shut behind him, he leaned against the frame.

Peace was a luxury emotion the more that Ignis thought about it. Although he had managed to walk away from Ardyn unscathed, the demon had been right in one regard: he was gravely wounded. It wasn't the type of injury that neither a potion or elixir could heal, but one that was shaking him to his core. He chose Ardyn. No matter how he tried to rationalize that it was the right course of action to take, he was haunted by it.

Ignis retreated to the shower to expunge the dirt from Talcott's mining adventure. He had to have been a mess, even Prompto commented how out of character he looked covered in grim. He'd have to ask that this particular set get a deep clean from the hotel staff when they did their housekeeping. When Ignis emerged from the shower he set the clothing aside before slipping into his night robes. Ignis laid in bed, but he couldn't go to sleep. He supposed that it wouldn't be surprising, between Ardyn's mocking sneers and Gladio's overprotective nature, it was no wonder why his mind was hardly settled for the events that would no doubt transpire. It was hard to say how long he had lay in bed before the sound of a knock on the door pulled him from his deep thoughts.

Already he was dreading opening the door. Maybe Ardyn was coming back to finish what he started after all. But as he waited for the door to be knocked down by the force of the chancellor's power, he heard a familiar voice.

"Iggy, buddy you there?"

Prompto. It was likely a trick, or was the real thing. Sighing, he pulled himself up walking closer to the door. There was no point in holding back, and rather boldly he opened the door without any hesitation.

"Hey…" Prompto said. "I know you probably were trying to sleep but… I didn't want to leave you after all that. Thank god you gave me your room number before the daemons attacked huh?"

Ignis didn't smell the sandalwood or aftershave again and he felt his shoulders relax, glad it wasn't another one of Ardyn's games. "I told you it was alright." But he couldn't help but smile softly. "But I appreciate it regardless."

"Still, let me explain. Don't worry, Gladio isn't around." Actually he had been rather adamant on the Shield not joining in to make sure he didn't upset Ignis again.

"It's fine, I hadn't quite made it to bed yet." He motioned for the gunner to come in and led them to the living room. Short of the brief visits from Cid and hotel staff, it was rare that he used the living room at all anymore. The TV was just a prop. There was no more broadcasting on the large scale since everything had gone dark. Communication had always been by radio and even then, it was severely limited as power was needed with lighting and other defensive projects. "What's on your mind?" Although he had an idea of what the conversation was going to be about.

"Well… about what happened." The gunner frowned softly. "I know Gladio had trouble expressing it. But he's just been worried about you Iggy."

"I figured that might be the case." The retainer didn't have the heart to let him know he now understood both of their feelings now, so just acted the part. "I didn't know if I had done anything wrong with either of you. It seemed like it was taboo to be around me ever since my eyesight left me." That had always been what bothered him most. "And then when Noct disappeared I just… thought you didn't desire my company any longer."

Prompto looked at him as he said that. "I can't speak for Gladio but at least for me… it was hard to know how far you were willing to go for Noct. When I thought of that… I don't know… it just made being in your presence all the more intimidating."

Intimidating? Surely that couldn't have been the right word to use given the situation. "I'm still the same person Prompto."

"It's easy for you to say that… but I don't think so. I mean… no one has put on the Lucii Ring that hasn't lost something important. I heard from some Kingsglaive that when Nyx did it… he died. Ravus lost his arm but he never was able to harness the power. You were, and you managed to stay with us." Whether it was divine intervention it was hard to say, but Ignis had to have been special to be able to do that.

Prompto did have a point and Ardyn seemed to pick up on it as well. In fact, when the ring had come under his control, he remembered how vexed Ardyn was as he fought him. He was spared when there should have been no reason he should have. If there was a loophole for him to survive, then surely there could have been a loophole for Noctis too. He wanted to believe that to be the case but he couldn't study the ring right now nor had he been given any clues from the crystal. "The Lucii Ring… it kills it's wielder whether a royal family member wears it or a commoner… It requires life force to use it's magic. That's why it's the only kind within Eos, why it is tied to the Crystal and Niefheim wanted it so badly. To wield it is to rival the power of the Astrals themselves."

"So even Noct-" Prompto paused at the implication. "I never knew... Guess not many outside of the royal circle would have known. When did you learn of that detail?"

"That day at Altissia… when I put on the ring. I saw the old Kings of Yore. I understood the gravity of what I was putting at stake. I don't think many are aware what the ring really does to the user. Only the magic it produced was what the people admired about it, what they wanted."

"It's sad… I mean the magic that it does is legendary for sure but… all this fuss over it. Makes me wonder if it really is worth it."

Ignis agreed with Prompto completely. The Crystal was the basis for the feud between Lucian and Niefhiem control of Eos. At what point was the prize worth so many lives? When he considered the state of the world in ruins all for the sake of such an insignificant object, it infuriated him. "Do you think… we could live in a world without magic?"

"A world without it?" Prompto paused at the implication of it. "It's hard to picture you know… but then again being within the sun has been crazy too yet we are all trying to adapt to it." So that did give the gunner hope. "But I'm sure we could… maybe we've taken it all for granted. I don't want another scenario like this where we have to lose everything, and we have nothing but bodies to show for it."

It was a fair observation. "Perhaps that is the world that we need to strive towards then."

Prompto ended up staying with Ignis, for hours picking up the light-hearted banter they had started at the lobby hotel before the daemons had attacked. Despite the reservations he felt, he had allowed the gunner to grace him with his tall tales. Some of the tasks described were clearly a bit far fetched in nature, but it didn't matter. Ignis was happy to humor his friend.

"Shit… I didn't mean to keep you up Iggy." Prompto finally said, glancing at his watch. "Guess it's been a hell of a day for both of us though. I'll be back after I run some errands."

The retainer smiled. "It's fine, it was a lovely talk." When the gunner had left, Ignis retreated back to bed again. This time his mind was at ease and he drifted off to sleep and dreamed of Noct and a place he would rather spend with his King.

* * *

His hotel phone woke him up some hours later. He supposed it was Prompto again and reached for the speaker. "Hello." He muttered not bothering to hold back the weariness from his voice.

[" _Ignis. Come meet me for breakfast in the lobby son."_ ]

It was Cid. Rather odd that the old man insisted on seeing him. "Alright… I'll be there." With the confirmation given the mechanic hung up. He hadn't rambled like he usually did. Something was up. He pushed his grogginess aside as he cleaned himself up and proceeded down to the bar. Never was good to keep the old man waiting.

"'Bout time you got here. Was worried if I was gonna have to bust down your door. Your breakfast is getting cold."

"My thanks." Sliding in the seat across from the old man he couldn't help but sniff the food before him. Eggs, bacon, sausage and some type of sweet roll. "Forgive me, it's been a long… few hours."

"So I've heard. Finally got a break from the shop. Wanted to tell you I'll be heading out later today back to Hammerhead."

He had almost forgotten that Cid had been essentially on call since they had first got here. One one hand, it was the perfect opportunity to escape from Galdin but… Ignis couldn't leave Noctis alone. "Glad to see you finally got caught up but…I want to stay here."

Cid didn't seem to react to the news as he poured some coffee for the retainer. "Wasn't aware that you liked Galdin Quay that much. Guess it wouldn't hurt to stay here for a bit longer. Won't have anything heavy that me and my baby girl won't be able to handle." He studied Ignis's face though. "You find something here that holds your interest?"

"You could say that."

"Mmm, I see. Saw your chocobo enthusiastic blonde friend." Cid mentioned stabbing into his plate of eggs and bacon. "Visited me right when the shop opened up. He seemed concerned."

Digging into his food between bites the retainer kept his composure as best he could. "I'm fine. Just distracted with some things is all."

"You've been saying that a lot lately boy. Thing is… _how_ you've been saying it has made me rather suspect."

For a split second, Ignis's hand froze as he listened to Cid.

"I haven't said anything to anyone, so relax." The old man added. "You might be foolin' them, but you ain't foolin' me." There was a pause as he considered how to proceed with the conversation. "Not gonna ask you to spill your guts out to me. But I know you staying here is more than just lookin' after your Crystalline Prince."

After a while Ignis sighed."It is." He had been lying so much, even trying to tell a remote truth was a welcome breath of fresh air. Still, he was careful with how he chose his words. He could not get anyone involved right now. "But I cannot say the reason right now."

"Naw, didn't figure that you would. Not if you couldn't even tell your buddies. Thought you were gonna talk to them 'bout how you feel when you saw them again."

"I tried." Maybe it could have been handled better, but all of them appeared to be on different pages so he scrapped the idea. "However, we don't appear to be ready for that type of conversation yet."

There was a pause before Cid grunted softly. "Not now eh? Well, give you props for tryin'. Sure this won't be the last time you see them, you'll get another chance soon enough. Honestly, the more that I think about you boys and then the shit that happened with myself and Regis, the parallel between us is astounding." He chuckled softly. "Regis and I… we've had our differences. Not saying I still hate the bastard, but I can't say I wouldn't have been arrested for clocking him upside the head. Imagine the presses if those paparazzi jackasses saw it. The headlines would read " _Old crotchy mechanic opens a can of whoop-ass over the Lucian King's head with a ball socket wrench_ ". God, what a fuckin' mess that would have been."

Ignis couldn't help but grin at that. "That type of argument huh?"

"And then some." The old man sighed though. "But still do… still did care for him, same as your dear Noctis. Don't make the mistake that I did and not say what you need to. For better or worse, you'll regret it if something happens and you missed your chance. Kept wondering why Reggie didn't see me that day and I cursed him for it… but in hindsight that bastard saved my life as it kept me from out of the city during the siege." He thought about that day often, though he had resolved that there would have been nothing that could have been done. He'd be just another casualty that the army could claim credit to finding.

"Ignis… not sure if you staying at Galdin Quay it is for the best or for the worse, but I can tell you ain't the same man I drove down here a few weeks ago." He brought a cigarette to his mouth before bringing his lighter to tip. "Since I won't make you tell me what is wrong, I'll give you a hint on how to better yourself. Kinda glad you are staying here. Talcott could use a friend to talk to, he's been hiding under a shell since Jared died, he ain't the same boy I've come to know either."

So, Cid had noticed that as well. "You think I can help him?"

"Yep. And you can help yourself along the way. Take two scrap cars and you'd be surprised what a beauty you can make out of the parts. Doesn't matter what they were in the past, or how they ended up on the chopping block, you can make something out of nothing." The two were notably different, but they did suffer a loss. He hoped that the two of them could bond on that basis alone. Cid blew out a plume of smoke from his nose. "There is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. I don't need to tell you that. Before you kick the bucket, I suggest you learn to enjoy the things that made you happy - that still do. It's why I still work on my cars. Plan to die with a wrench in my hand, ain't no goddamn daemon gonna kill my ass until I'm damn well ready to be buried under Hammerhead."

The more that the retainer listened to Cid, he remembered why he had enjoyed spending the time he did with him. "You've always been a tough old bird. I don't see you dying so easily myself."

"Only way to live son. Get the spark back in your life else you just gonna be a pitiful husk of a man. You are young boy… don't give me that crap saying you can't do shit. You can, I've seen it before."

The old man was right… he hadn't been pushing himself like he had in the past. Everything could be learned again, regardless as to the method he had to employ. That was what he was trained to do, he couldn't put any of that aside even with what was going on around him.

"Guess I'll be heading back. Just wanted to have another chat before I pulled out. I'm sure I'll be back down here at some point but well.. Never know what will happen between now and then. Until that time, take care of yourself… and Talcott for me."

"Consider it done." The retainer murmured. "I owe you Cid."

"Think nothing of it…I view you as my own flesh and blood. Gotta look after you since you are doing a piss poor job at it."

Sadly, Ignis couldn't deny that wasn't true.

* * *

Despite the risks, Ignis found himself rejuvenated to go back to Angelgard. He had been avoiding the tiny island more out of fear from Ardyn, though now he just wanted to visit the resting place and have another chat with Noctis again. The ferry taking him back there did bring back unpleasant memories, though he pushed them in the back of his mind as he entered the crystal chamber.

The guards spoke of Gladio being around, and it was likely he was the real person instead of Ardyn. He had rationalized that for whatever reason the Usurper enjoyed his mask as Emus so there was no reason for him to risk imitating Gladio. The man was being just as secretive as he was. A frustrating conclusion to figuring out what Ardyn really wanted. As he entered, he could already tell that nothing had changed. The light emanating from the structure was just as brilliant as it had been before. Noctis was safe and sound allowed to rest without a care in the world.

Ignis walked closer to the structure, a hand reaching out to touch the crystal. "Hey Noct… took me a while to come back here. Sorry about that. But, I've made a decision how I'm going to protect you. You won't be happy but… I have to do it to keep you… and everyone else safe. I ask that you forgive me." Was there any forgiveness for lying to the people he cared about? He didn't know. It wouldn't have changed his course of actions.

As he contemplated over his actions, the sound of footsteps was evident in the normally silent room. "Specs, there you are. Thought you'd come here."

Turning around, Ignis regarded Gladio. His nickname… only the real one would have used it. "Why would you say that?"

"The commander here commented that you often spent time with Noct when you came to town."

He waited for Gladio to come closer before he scented the air around the shield. Nothing that gave of Ardyn was noted and he accepted the man as his real friend. "Ah… of course. Were you speaking with him regarding the daemons then?"

"Yeah, just needed to know the areas that are being hit the hardest. It's becoming impossible to station all of us in cities. If things keep going… we are going to have to evacuate somewhere else."

"The daemons will be attracted by the large population that that happens."

"Yes, but at the same time, they are getting bolder the more time passes. Without the sun… or even an Oracle there is no limitation to keep them in check." He turned to the crystal then. "Wish we could do more… but we are still waiting on him. You ever noticed anything change when you come here?"

"Silent as the stars." The retainer murmured. "I keep hoping one day that I'm around I'll get the news he emerged but… it never has happened yet." But it had to, for the sake of Eos and the people in it, Noctis had to come out. "I just… like to know he is safe personally. Part of the reason why I come here. It's a bit unorthodox I know but I just have trouble leaving him as he is." He wasn't sure if it was proper to even say that Noctis was living anymore, but he wasn't dead either. He heard the frantic cries and the luminous light as Noctis was swallowed whole so he was there in some capacity but it had to have been a lonely existence.

"Makes sense. You and he might as well have been blood brothers, so I can see the attachment. Kinda wonder why the King only had one son. Guess having you… he didn't feel the need."

Ignis doubted that, but he never thought much of why he and Noctis had been placed together practically from their birth. Perhaps Regis learning the prophecy did have something to do with it but even so… Noctis never did have a picturesque perfect upbringing. Ignis knew more about Noct than even Regis did and he wondered if that was on purpose in hindsight. "I like to talk to him… just to make sure that he knows we haven't forgotten about him, and we still will wait for his return. Whenever that might be, it is the least I can do."

Gladio stared at the crystal's core. "I'm sure that he appreciates it Specs. It has to be lonely in there, whatever he is doing." He turned his attention back to Ignis though. "Listen… about what happened at the lounge. It was me speaking out of place."

"It's fine… there is a lot going on. I didn't realize how much Noctis was holding us all together. So him being gone… guess that changes things."

"It's a bit more than that. I know… I've ignored your feelings purely for selfish reasons."

"Gladio, I can't fault you for wanting to save lives. But do remember… not every problem can be solved with brute strength alone."

"I know that. Which is why… I have wanted you to stay out of harm's way. Fighting is all I know Iggy, it's all I got left to offer in this fucked up world." He paused looking down. "But you… you can do a lot more than I can. Probably will ever hope to accomplish when things go back to normal."

 _Could there ever be a point where things went back to normal?_ Ignis thought. It seemed like such a foreign concept when he considered what would be lost as a result. The complete removal of the starscourge meant that Noctis would have to be... No, he didn't even want to think about it again. "I'm not one to sit on the sidelines. Which is why I'm just… frustrated right now. We've always had our differences with how best to serve Noct." Ignis admitted. "So I won't force the issue of my physical fitness when it comes to protecting myself." He was sure that the conversation would never have a conclusion and only make the ideals they shared divide them further apart. Even if Gladio was wrong, it wasn't worth giving the man more of a reason to stay away from him.

"Fair enough." The Shield said. "But… when I come to check on you, prove it to me that you can take care of yourself."

That surprised Ignis a bit. Maybe it was an attempt at an olive branch. Had there been any doubt that this was Gladio it was put to rest by that statement alone. "You mean to test me yourself?"

"That's right." Gladio murmured. "If you can defeat me or at least hold your own… I guess I know you'll be in safe hands whatever you choose to do."

Ignis smiled. "And I'll know that I can still keep up with the Shield of the King." Ignis paused though. "I'd like you to do something for me when you come back."

"Oh? What is that?"

"Give me your hand." When it was done, Ignis opened his own palm. "When I extend my hand to you, I want you to do this gesture." He ran Gladio's finger from the tip of his ring finger, then down to the center of his palm, repeating the gesture to Ignis's own forefinger to palm, pinky to palm, then index finger to his palm all in the same methodical gesture.

It was arcane but Gladio recognized what it was supposed to be. "A code?"

"Of sorts, yes."

"But why?"

Ignis didn't want to tell the man the real reason. But he did want to appear to be genuine for the extra security measure. "Because if my other senses fail me for whatever reason, I'll have this. It's our promise to be better… to trust each other."

"Iggy… I-"

"Please, Gladio." God help him, he didn't want to explain why he insisted on being able to identify both himself and Prompto, but he couldn't risk Ardyn's interference. Not when it came to being deceived by these two. "Just… Humor me with this."

"Alright," Gladio seemed to be perplexed by this method, but given how he had upset Ignis only a few hours earlier he'd relent. "But you sure as hell better make Prompto do this too."

"Don't worry, I'm planning on it."

The Shield hesitated for a moment before watching Ignis's face. "How long are you going to stay with Noct?"

"At least a few more hours… I owe him that."

A pause followed before Gladio placed a hand on the retainer's shoulder. "Come back to the hotel lobby when you are done here. Before I head out… I'd like to have a meal with you and Prompto again."

Ignis sat down at the base of the crystal. "I'll be there." When Gladio left the chamber he sighed. "There will be a point where we meet together like before…and share each other's memories, but right now. I have to keep them away from me."

* * *

Talcott had joined them by the time the trio had met up at the bar. Ignis doubted that Cid could have told him to come at that exact point in time, but having the boy there had cut the tension down substantially. No one had mentioned the events of the lobby, so the trio managed to keep up appearances, if only for ensuring that Talcott had a good time.

"Hey Gladio, when is Iris coming back?" The youth poked at the man. "Tell her I miss her."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be back soon enough. When I see her, I'll give her your message though. Sound fair?"

Pouting the boy relented as he reached for his apple juice. "Fine, but she owes me one for sure."

The Shield couldn't help but grin. "Don't worry, I'll have her make you your favorite dessert to make it up for you."

That had Talcott's eyes beaming at the thought. "Promise?!" Seeing Gladio nod had him grin ear to ear. "She always did make the best cakes you know! Only made them on special occasions."

"I'm sure I can convince her to make an exception for you." A hand went out to ruffle his hair. Funny how just the promise of a treat could make the boy perk up. "Heard you are making quite an earning with the ore you are providing for the engineers here."

"Oh," the youth beamed. "Yeah, me and Iggy have been helping out with it. Starting to learn how the conductivity works. Been hanging out with Cid to know what we need to get more of."

"You don't say?" Gladio turned to the retainer as he said that. "Didn't know you were doing all that."

"It seemed like a worthy use of my time. Besides, he was kind enough to include me in his misadventures."

"I see." The Shield mused a bit happy that Ignis was able to do something. It was a clever use of his time. The next few hours spent between the men and boy had been well worth it. Between Prompto's tall tales, Talcott's short attention span and Ignis's dry humor, Gladio remembered why spending time with them had been so enjoyable. The only person that could have made it better was Noct but eventually he'd be back. Time eventually got the better of him though, and seeing Talcott struggle to stay awake, he picked up the kid offering him a piggyback ride back to his home.

Prompto and Ignis had followed behind him and when they had insured Talcott made it back in one piece did he turn his attention back at his friends. "Guess it's time I hit the road. Got a lot of ground to cover." He had enough time to pack up the jeep and walked in the direction of the parking lot of the hotel knowing that the time spent here was ridiculously short. As he hopped in the vehicle, the Shield turned his attention back to Prompto. "You sure you are okay with your decision?"

"Yeah," The gunner confirmed. "It'll be fine. I'm sure you can do a lot more without me. Gotta whip the new recruits in shape after all." And he couldn't help but feel that Gladio wanted to take on the role.

Wisely, the Shield didn't push the matter as he watched Ignis who hadn't really said much. He couldn't tell if he was just trying to keep the peace or just distracted by other matters but this wasn't the right time for him to inquire about it. He figured with Prompto around, everything would eventually work itself out. "I'll come visit you, but I can't really say when right now. Promise me you'll take care of yourself Specs."

"I shall, and I hope you do the same. Be safe out there." With their goodbyes said, Gladio flipped on the ignition listening to the engine sputter as he pulled off the sandy beach headed off to his destination.

Prompto waved until he couldn't see the car within his vision and sighed softly. "Who would have thought? Didn't know Gladio would be so good with kids." Prompto mused surprised how calm he was around Talcott.

"He didn't always used to be that way." Ignis chimed, often remembering how frustrated Noctis used to make him when he was younger. It was a wonder that the two of them became close at all with how the pair didn't get along at first.

"Really?" The gunner said. "Could have fooled me. I wonder what changed."

"Age, goals, love…commitment." Ignis chimed off. In a way, he guessed it was to be expected. Noctis did grow up and wasn't the standoffish child he had once been. WIth Gladio now gone that only left Prompto and Ignis had been figuring out all day how to address the gunner. "So, what exactly are you planning now?"

"Hmm, honestly, I am not sure yet." The gunner admitted. "Was thinking about hanging around here for a bit longer."

So he really did want to stay beside him. "Prompto… I know what you are doing for me. And really, you don't have to."

"What do you mean?"

The retainer turned to him then offering a soft smile. "You didn't go with Gladio to look after me right?"

"Well I-" He wondered how the hell Ignis had figured that out. Caught red handed he wasn't sure how to play it off. "I mean a part of it was that way but… I just am not sure what to do with myself. Gladio doesn't come this way often you see."

"You can do a lot more for the people than looking after one person. I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that there are far more important things at stake than a single life being preserved."

The gunner sighed. "Yeah… I know." But that didn't stop him from feeling bad or wishing he could help Ignis in some way.

"If you are worried about being gone a long time, you should consider doing freelance work. I'm sure that the Hunters won't mind and you can come and go as you please if you really need a break."

"You think that'll work?"

"It couldn't hurt to ask. I don't think anyone will turn down help to keep the daemons away from city borders."

It was a decent compromise. Prompto wouldn't have been as constrained as before and always on the move. "If you are sure Iggy. I'll talk to the commander here about that. I'm sure he'll know of some places."

"It doesn't have to be here you know. You also have someone else you should look after too in Hammerhead."

"Who is that?"

"Cindy of course." Ignis chuckled. "I doubt you have already forgotten about your charming lady."

Prompto hadn't of course, but he didn't want to be too obvious about it. "You… think I should be near her?"

"Yes," Ignis replied. "You love her don't you?"

The gunner hesitated at that question. "I… I don't know how to feel about her."

"You came to see me without spending time with her in Hammerhead didn't you? I know you want to go back. It's written in your voice." He had noticed the subtle way that Prompto's voice had changed when he spoke of her. It was hard to miss and he was genuinely happy that he stuck this long with anyone.

"That obvious huh?" He paused looking at the sky. "I wanted to go with Cid, but I should probably get my own ride huh? Still not sure if the old man knows what's going on between me and her."

Oh he knew, Ignis had no doubt that the old man would have cracked Prompto's head open if he didn't approve of the courtship. Cid was sharp. That was becoming more apparent when Ignis interacted with the old man but he didn't have the heart to let Prompto know this. "Do what makes you happy Prompto… don't let her get away like the others. I'd hate you to be moping if she falls for someone else while you are fretting over me."

It was hard to argue with Ignis when he said it like that. "You keep telling me I need to grow a backbone." But damn it was hard. "Iggy… I just… am lost right now. Guess I need to sort out things on my end. No point in saving anyone from harm if I'm still messed up in the head, you know?"

"Take all the time you need Prompto. I promise, I won't be going anywhere soon. Certainly don't intend to put myself in harm's way."

"Hah… I guess that is true. You are always Mr. Cautious after all."

And just like that, as he saw Prompto make his decision to leave, Ignis had signed his own death warrant.

* * *

It had taken Prompto a few days and a bit more coaxing on Ignis part, but eventually the gunner had gotten a jeep and made the journey back to Hammerhead. Ignis had seen him off and he was more than happy to join Talcott for another day of digging for ore in the mines. The outing had been a welcome distraction as he helped the boy fill another satchel. "Let's retire until another day." He finally said, ushering him back home as the retainer retreated back to his room.

His days had been numbered. Ignis could feel it as he showered and changed into his night robes. Although Ardyn had been conspicuously absent, Ignis realized it was all a game. He hadn't caught his familiar scent but that didn't mean he wasn't watching or waiting for the right opportunity. It would be the final nail in the coffin and it finally happened when the retainer heard the door to his room open.

No one but himself had a key to the room, but he already knew the person that had entered was no housekeeper or even staff of the hotel. The footsteps were too deliberate, and they never paused as they swept deeper into the room until they reached his bedroom. Hearing them coming closer made his heart pound harder in his chest. Only when they stopped in front of him and the silence persisted, did he sit up to face the monster. "Ardyn, what do I owe you this visit?"

The chancellor didn't flinch as he was outed. Dropping his guise as Emus, he already assumed Ignis knew who he was by the time he entered. Enough time had elapsed and he was ready to pounce. "You had to know eventually I would come for you."

Ignis had, but it hardly made it any easier to deal with, or prepare for. No, he could not do much knowing that these instances would be by Ardyn's will. He could feel the demon take hold of his chin and cradled it between his fingers. It was gentle, but he hadn't been fooled, he knew what Ardyn was capable of. "...Yes."

"And yet, you sent that clone away."

So he did know… which means he had been watching and waiting. "He comes and goes at his own volition. I have no control over that."

"Interesting choice of words. And what of your own personal beliefs at this impasse you find yourself in?"

It was more than that though. He hadn't realized it before until Cid, Gladio, and Prompto left that he had been trapped.. A cage with no cells evident, no shackles about his limbs, or having to be ordered around by command. Yet he'd be compelled to continue to come here solely for Ardyn's use, for their continued agreement. "It was by your design. My compliance has never been a factor in your twisted schemes.."

Well, it appeared Ignis had figured it out after all. Such a delightful opponent to keep him on his toes. "I confess you have surprised me. Nothing that you've done is what I had imagined. You would go so far and do so much all for the sake of love. Rather touching really. It is like reading an epic." And that was probably the most honest admission he had mentioned to Ignis throughout the entire affair. "You have piqued my curiosity in the past few weeks. I'd be a fool to let you go now."

"As if you ever were planning to." The way that Ardyn had spoken made him feel as though the madman was looking at him as no more than an experiment that was ready to be dissected. He knew that the chancellor had done his fair share of them with the MT prototypes, but now he was under the man's scrutiny. "You wish to psycho-analyze me now?"

"A part of me does. Once upon a time, I used to dabble in the medical field, it isn't so out of the ordinary. The constraints of the mind still perplex and fascinate me. Especially one such as yourself. It helps you are attractive, I confess." Ardyn couldn't help but laugh softly. "Who would have thought one of the King's servants could prove to be so entertaining."

This man had been a healer? In the wake of the mass destruction he had caused it was hard to imagine those hands could do anything more than be stained with blood. But before he could think to ask just what type of work he had done in that life, Ardyn pointed out something he had overlooked in dealing with the monster. He was the Hand of the King. It was no wonder why he had been targeted so ruthlessly. "Is that all you care about? Your revenge against Insomnia? Towards Noctis?"

"If only you were in my shoes. Perhaps you'd understand why such revenge is warranted and the only conclusion left for me to pursue." The chancellor mused letting his hand travel lower until it brushed past Ignis's Adam's apple and went to the buttons of his nightshirt. "You will in time. You chose me in the end after all."

The reminder made his chest hurt. He had tried to rationalize that he had done it to protect those he loved but he didn't want this, he didn't want Ardyn so close to him. Not when he already knew of the man's devious intentions but he could not move.

"The last vestige of hope and you would have rather saved your friend than saving yourself from this agony you go through time and time again." He pushed Ignis down on the mattress noticing that the retainer didn't fight him. Perhaps he was too tired, or realized it would be futile to attempt to resist. But Ardyn knew, Ignis was hurting, he was vulnerable, he could be taken advantage of. He _could_ break him into a million pieces.

"Isn't it ironic?" The demon mused. "The one that desires you the most is the one that you hate? The one that has never treated you like an invalid is the one that is responsible for your loss of vision? The one that you love... you can never see." He had taken much from Ignis in hindsight, and yet the blame couldn't be squarely placed on just his shoulders. It was a wonderful realization as he thought of how to hurt Noctis - no, rather to hurt Somnus. He started to hook his fingers around the buttons on Ignis's shirt removing each one until he could see the pale flesh hidden underneath it. When he had, his fingers roamed over each pectoral muscle brushing over each superficial scar that littered Ignis's body.

Ardyn desired him? It was hard to imagine that he was any use to such a man given what he was capable of doing. Perhaps he was an easy target due to his blindness, but something bothered Ignis when he thought of the demon just being opportunistic. It wasn't just having a handicap that was causing Ardyn to pursue him, if anything the blindness was simply a detail that had been accepted like a mole under an eye, or a scar over the skin.

_{"I see you all too well."}_

He remembered Ardyn saying such words and now he understood there was a certain acknowledgement that Ignis had overlooked.

"Relax." Ardyn whispered leaning down to place several kisses over Ignis's chest. He could feel the man's heartbeat just under the surface of the skin. How easy it would have been to reach down and tear it out. The thought tickled the back of his mind, though he repressed that violent impulse. No… that _couldn't_ have been Ardyn's thought, it was someone else's he hadn't purged from his mind. "I'll never leave you. You have my word." This had honestly worked much better than he initially had planned. Whatever had been said or even done by Prompto or Gladio seemed to have affected the man. Like a serpent, Ardyn coiled around his prey using his fragile state against him. "Think of only me tonight."

This was wrong… somewhere in the back of Ignis's mind he knew he should have fought back. Ardyn was his enemy, he was a threat to Eos itself.

"You're shaking again." Ardyn mused. "I'll be gentle with you this time. You've earned it." In fact, he'd only drive his point in more if he acted like he gave a damn. "So don't fight me. Your beloved savior."

The moment Ardyn said don't, Ignis _did_. It was that blind panic that got the better of his rational thinking like before. The absolute _fear_ that had him trying to escape from the monster under the bed as if he was a small child. The problem was that this monster didn't relent, and he didn't care. Ignis could be swallowed whole and no one would have known when, how, or why it happened. A small whimper left the back of his throat as his arms gripped the mattress and tried to pull himself away.

But Ardyn didn't allow it. He recognized the weakness and was not about to shy at the opportunity to pounce. "Shhh…" He countered, ignoring the man's pleas and pulling him back towards him. It was easy to do using his unnaturally daemonic strength to force the lithe body near his own. His fingers rested over Ignis's crotch, ghosting his fingers over the fine material. "You don't have to fear me, my pet."

The sheets ripped as Ignis was pulled back towards the monster. Unable to flee and unable to fight… he could feel each piece of clothing being stripped off of him with an ease and care that he never had associated with the chancellor before. A hand fisted in his hair as he was pushed down on his stomach with the looming body weight of Ardyn keeping him from trying to escape.

"Believe it or not," Ardyn started off, "I understand what you are going through boy. It must hurt to do everything within your power to save those you love… only to be scorned in the end. You and I are more alike than you would imagine."

"We… are _nothing_ alike Ardyn." The retainer growled.

 _If only you knew how wrong you were_. The chancellor thought. "Deny it all you wish. But even you should know that there is some truth in my words. Your love was unconditional but you paid a price… and the weight of it will be bare on your shoulders for the rest of your life. You may not regret it, but you will suffer all the same."

Ignis desperately wished he could block out the demon's voice. His own convictions were for him alone, Ardyn was trying to poison his ideals, make him question himself. He could feel Ardyn's hands sinking over his lower body coaxing his hips off the mattress. His heart fluttered in his chest reaching his hands out to grab hold of anything and managed to get his fingers on one of the pillows. The urge to throw it at Ardyn did cross his mind, but what good would it have done? He pulled it close to his face feeling the demon pressing at his entrance. He didn't want to feel any of it. He'd rather it have hurt, to be split into two but unlike the previous times, Ardyn was being careful with him. _He was keeping his promise_. He could feel the pause as each inch of the chancellor disappeared inside of him until he was buried before they rolled back to repeat the process. His body shuddered with each movement and then… as his body began to get used to the intrusion, he felt it. The beginnings of pleasure that had happened before. A literal oxymoron to being forced to endure such unwanted behavior.

 _There it is._ Ardyn grinned when he finally felt the body stiffen up. He doubted that the retainer understood why he was responding to the sex. Somehow he doubted this man's world barely had any hints of his own exploration of his body outside what was in textbooks and diagrams. He memorized the angle that had hit against the retainer's prostate and hit it again, and again and again. As gentle as he was being, the malicious intent was to make Ignis accept his own violation. Harming him with broken bones and dislocated joints could certainly be done, but considering what the man was going through, this effect would be a bit more permanent. And Ardyn suspected all the more humiliating as he watched Ignis try to mask his cries of pleasure within the pillow.

 _Not again_."A-ardyn." He wanted to scream how pitiful he sounded, but he couldn't quell his cries. "S-stop!" _Stop making me feel this way!_ It was confusing and he knew that such emotions were severely displaced. He could hear Ardyn starting to pant so close to his ear, echoing the frantic fever that had wormed its way into his loins. He was enjoying this… enjoying _him_.

"You like it boy." Ardyn whispered listening as the man's pitch steadily rose with each thrust given. Ardyn couldn't help but drown in the delicious sounds he was causing. The demon's breathing eventually staggered, climaxing into the waiting body as he was pushed over the edge. Spent, and thoroughly satisfied how the evening had gone, he pulled Ignis's limp body close to him. Surely the retainer was just as wiped out from their session but there would be more, there was no doubt about it. Placing a kiss on his forehead he held the man close to him. "You were exquisite Ignis. I shall keep your company so you won't be alone tonight." Now that all of the players had been run off, he basked at the thought of spending time with his prize.

Ignis was far too exhausted to fight back as he was cradled on Ardyn's chest. He knew he had come. Despite the protests and his own will to control himself, he damn well had given into lust. It was the first time that the chancellor had said his name… Ignis didn't know if it was proper to feel relieved or saddened at finally being acknowledged. Ardyn said he'd be the one that would stay with him and for once the retainer believed that he meant every word of it. That only made him agonize over the thought of becoming part of the waking world as he allowed darkness to consume him. It hadn't been how he pictured his life but he was still at a loss as to how to escape from this hellfire. It was the million gil question as he drifted off to sleep in the monster's embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next story in series will be "Body and Soul"


End file.
